The Truth in Secret
by AFangirlofSorts
Summary: Skye has a secret, one that no one else can ever know. As a child, people wanted to exploit her genius. As a teen, they took advantage of her mind. For two years, Skye had been free but, when she gets on Shield's radar, she has to tread carefully or else they might learn her secret and history will repeat itself.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello lovely readers! Second Shield story. Shoutout to Annajadekin for allowing me to bring her story idea to life, hope you guys enjoy the ride. Brief explanation: Skye is a secret genius, watch how she keeps it a secret, learn about her mysterious past and how she uses her above average intelligence to her advantage.**

 **Summary:** **Skye has a secret, one that no one else can ever know. As a child, people wanted to exploit her genius. As a teen, they took advantage of her mind. For two years, Skye had been free but, when she gets on Shield's radar, she has to tread carefully or else they might learn her secret and history will repeat itself.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

 **Chapter One: Skye**

"I want to go."

These four words had made the child's new favorite phrase since she has said the same thing a dozen times in the last ten minutes. Ms Harris, the social worker for the five year old, had told the little girl that they needed to wait for her results. Last  
week, a teacher had commented on the little girl, Mary, that she wasn't paying attention in class.

At first it had seemed like a small matter since all children had small attention spans and could become bored very easily if not entertained. The teacher had taken it upon herself to give Mary a test, one all five year olds needed to take to see if they  
could move into first grade. The teacher wanted to show that the little girl was struggling and had expected Mary to do poorly on the test to prove her point, but the young girl had gotten a perfect score. Mary had said the test was easy, but it was  
also annoying because she didn't want to take it again.

The next day, the teacher gave Mary a test that a first grader would take to see if they could move onto the second grade level. Mary had passed the test with flying colors and did better than most first graders would have done. The teacher had even given  
Mary had a test for middle schoolers and still the five year old passed with an excellent score. Ms Harris had been contacted about the little girl and decided to bring her in for IQ test.

The test had taken Mary two hours to get through because she continued to get distracted by various things around the room. The test administer thought this could be a sign of her intelligence because most children with higher IQ's tend to get bored easily.  
Ms Harris wasn't so sure about that, but didn't comment.

"I know Mary," Ms Harris told the little girl, "But we still have a few more minutes."

Mary frowned at the older woman. Mary was sitting at a little table with a small pack of crayons and two coloring sheets that she had finished coloring minutes ago. With sad brown eyes, Mary stood from her seat and walked around the waiting room that  
was empty except for the two of them. She hated tests and didn't understand why the adults continued to make her take test started easy, but then got harder the further along she went with it.

Now Mary and Ms Harris were waiting for the results. The waiting room looked how most child doctors offices would look with silly posters on the walls, some chairs and a little table with various items to keep children occupied while they waited.

"I want to go," Mary groaned throwing her head back as she walked in a circle.

Ms Harris sighed, "Soon Mary. We can go soon."

Ms Harris hoped her words were true. She was tired of waiting in this place with the restless five year old. The door leading to the hallways and countless rooms opened revealing a young man with black hair and fair skin.

"Ms Harris, if you would follow me," the man said simply.

Ms Harris stood from her seat, stretched out her hand towards Mary, who ran over and took the woman's hand. The trio walked down the hallway and into the man's office.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the man said, "My name is Jack Parks."

"Ellen Harris and this is Mary Sue Poots," Ms Harris introduced herself and the little girl.

Mary frowned at the name, but made no remark as she took her seat in front of Mr Parks.

Mr Parks nodded, "Nice to meet you. Before I go over the technicalities, I would like you too look at this."

The young man handed Ms Harris a manila folder and inside we're Mary's results. Mary, although she didn't like the test, wanted to know what she got. She hoped if she did good on this test, then she wouldn't have to take anymore.

"This is her IQ score," Ms Harris said in surprise, "Are you certain?"

Mr Parks nodded, "She is quite the little genius."

* * *

 **Seventeen Years Later**

* * *

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

Everyone in this building was an idiot as far as the young girl with her hands bound in front of her was concerned. Getting through the agency's fire wall had been too easy and it wasn't until she made it to one of their headquarters did she understand  
why. Stupid. The young girl had practically walked through their front doors with her false ID, that their system hadn't been able to identify as a fake.

It was too easy, which had been her first tip off that maybe the agency she was trying to breach was smarter than she thought. However she had gotten ahead of herself again, reminding herself that not everyone was as smart as she was.

The young woman looked to the right ceiling corner of her cell which was actually an interrogation room. The walls had hexagon designs all over them, including on the floor and ceiling. It looked the same from all sides. By examining the walls closely,  
she knew they were made from an impenetrable type of metal that she decided would have been used to contain the Hulk. If she could touch the wall, she could would be able to tell exactly what type of metal it was. In the upper right hand corner, she  
could see the camera watching her.

The red light wasn't blinking and she knew right that they weren't recording her. Most likely they planned to record her interrogation, but judging by the camera's designs, she knew the audio wouldn't be clear. The little red light on the side of the  
camera turned on and the woman smiled, they were coming in. She faced forward with a smug expression.

The door opened on her left allowing two men in suits to come inside. The first man who walked in was much older than she was, his brown hair was thinning, he had clear blue eyes and peach skin. Judging by his stance, she could tell he was the boss. The  
second man to come inside looked closer to her age. He had pale olive skin, honey brown eyes and dark brown hair, she determined he was mostly of Italian descent.

"About time someone showed up," the young woman said, "I've been in here forever."

"Apologies for the lack of finesse," the older one said, a smug smile on his face.

The young woman rolled her chocolate brown eyes in annoyance. This wasn't her first time dealing with agents, specifically SHIELD agents. Yet every time she became involved with them, it left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Look, this is going to to one of two ways," the second man said in a condescending tone.

The woman gave him a tight and fake smile as she replied, "Is one of them the easy way?"

"No," was the man's curt reply, "What's your name?"

The woman thought for a moment, she brushed a loose strand of brown hair behind her ear as she said, "Skye. Just Skye."

"The name's Agent Coulson and this is Agent Ward," the first man, Coulson said with a softer smile, "We just want to talk to you."

Skye said with a pleased grin, "You want to _interrogate_ me in order to understand why I came to this base. You want to know why I hacked your database, what I was looking for. You want to know why i came here and why I let myself get caught."

Agent Coulson nodded in reply, "We want to know all of those things. You could have walked right out of this building and none of us would have been the wiser. You wanted to get caught."

Skye didn't reply. It was true, she had been trying to get SHIELD to catch for two months now until finally she had no more patience. Her plan was easy enough, leave a trail for SHIELD to follow, bring her in and hopefully she could gain access to one  
of their mainframes. All she needed was to get on the inside, but Shield had never caught her until now.

Not until she gave herself away twenty- thirty minutes ago in the employee lounge. Agent Coulson took a seat across from Skye. Judging by her facial structure and build, he guessed she was in her early- mid twenties. After she had been brought into this  
room, Shield had been trying to find out who this girl was, but had found nothing. It was almost as if she didn't exist.

"You work for the Rising Tide," Agent Coulson questioned, even though it was more of a statement.

Skye didn't deny it, "Yeah, wonder what gave me away."

"What were you looking for," Ward asked sharply, not really wanting to dance around the subject.

He and Coulson had a mission to finish. Question the girl on what she knew about the explosion last week and the man named Mike Peterson. Last week, Ward had joined the team that Agent Coulson had assembled. They were investigating an explosion and the  
act of a mystery man who saved someone from the fire. No one had seen him since. The only reason Shield had been able to identify the man was because one video they found on the internet had a view of his face.

Skye scoffed at Ward, but made no other reply.

"Do recognize this man," Coulson asked as he showed her a photo of Mike Peterson.

Skye didn't know him personally. She had met with him briefly after the lab explosion last week, after she had uploaded a video to the Rising Tide page. The only thing the two had talked about was about him running away because Shield would come and take  
him away. Mike knew it was true, so he took his son and disappeared. That was as much as Skye knew.

"What about him," Skye questioned indifferently.

"One of the videos posted on the Rising Tide has the same cryptographic signature that we found in our system," Coulson replied, still smug as ever.

Skye smirked, "Good eye detective."

"Did you cause the explosion on the secret lab last week to draw out Peterson," Ward asked darkly.

Skye glared at him, "Did _you_?"

"That's not our style," Coulson told her matter-of-factly.

"Yeah right, you would just cover it up. SHIELD covered New Mexico, Project Pegasus, Xerxes.. Of course you'd be covering up Centipede," Skye replied smartly, but when she saw their confused faces, she went on, "Holy no way. You have no idea what those  
are."

"You were looking to uncover Shield's secrets," Coulson questioned, avoiding her observation.

He had no idea what Xerxes or Centipede were, he knew about Pegasus and New Mexico, but the other two escaped his mind. He had never run across the names before in the database or from any operatives looking into underground power experiments.

Skye sighed, "That is kind of the point of the Rising Tide."

"But you could have gathered information from wherever you are stationed, but you came here," Ward said to her, "You were looking for something specific? Perhaps something to deal with powers."

Before she could answer, Coulson spoke, "Listen, we aren't the only people interested in powers. We do want to contain him, but the next guy will exploit him and the next guy might want to dissect him. We are just trying to help."

Skye forced herself not to glare at the agent before her. Shield didn't want to help anyone, it was full of liars and selfish people. All Skye knew about Shield was they were cowards, hiding the truth from the rest of the world in order to be in control.  
It was like the old saying goes, knowledge is power.

"What is Centipede," Ward asked her.

Skye scoffed, "All this money, equipment and resources, yet I beat you with a laptop I won when I was a teenager...Centipede is another super soldier project. That's all I know. I was hoping to find more information here only to realize you had never  
heard of it until me."

"Maybe you can help us," Coulson offered with a gentle grin, "Help us find out more about Centipede and we let you walk."

"Walk," Skye questioned, her brow slightly furrowed.

Coulson nodded, "You've hacked into our system, left a virus, breached our base and are withholding valuable information. We can put you in for that, unless you help us now."

"Why so interested in this now," Skye questioned, "What do you need me for?"

Coulson grinned at her, "You've got skills, we need you to use them and help us catch this guy before he gets hurt or hurts someone else."

Part of Skye wanted to refuse, but she remembered meeting Mike and his son, Ace. After they disappeared, Skye had been idly searching to see if they were okay, but never found anything. Skye smiled, stage one of her plan was finished. All she needed to  
do now was help them with what they wanted and once she proved her worth, they would keep her. After that she would finally find out what happened to her as an infant. It was the question she didn't have an answer too, but she would find it.

"Get me to my van and I can give you all the information I have and possible locations of other labs," Skye said, a pleased grin on her face.

* * *

Skye hopped out of the GMC SUV with a slightly happy smile as she approached her van. It was an extremely old model, but it was home to the woman just the same. Even though she wanted to paint it another color instead of the faded baby blue, she still  
loves the van. A woman, who Skye had learned was called Agent May, had escorted her here. The two hadn't done much talking, but Skye didn't mind. Her thoughts had been focused on other, more pressing matters than small talk with a person she had just  
met.

"This the right place," Agent May asked, her voice coated with suspicion and confusion.

Skye grinned smartly with one hand on the side door as she said, "Definitely. Might not look like much, but it's home."

Skye slid the door opened and stepped inside her home. Agent May looked inside, her brown eyes taking in the interior of the van. There was a desk with a bunch of computer equipment on the right while in the back was a bed, lights on the wall and a mini  
fridge. It turned out the young woman wasn't kidding when she had said this place was home.

Skye bent over her computer and began to type rapidly. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, the sound of constant tapping bringing a ghost smile to her face. Once Skye had found all the documents and information she had on Centipede, she began to download  
it into a chip Fitz had given her. Skye had tie fly met two other people before her arrival here. A young man who was engineer had given her the chip to use.

Skye would have refused, but given her current situation, she decided it would be best to just follow along with what they wanted. Next she had met a young woman, her name was Simmons. From what she could tell, she was the scientist while Fitz was the  
technology expert. Skye knew the chip was designed to take more information from her computer than she wanted. Luckily she had created another code that would protect all her files from being downloaded into the chip.

"How long do you suppose this will take," Agent May questioned, her brown eyes studying Skye.

The young woman leaned back in her chair, "Not long. I'd say another minute or two."

The Agent gave her curt nod before walking a few steps away. Skye could tell the Agent was searching for something out of the ordinary, anything that might show signs of danger. This didn't seem to bother Skye, but she definitely understood the feeling  
of always having to keep a sharp eye. While May was out of sight, Skye grabbed one of her own computer chips and slipped it into bra. One of the only foster sisters she ever liked had told her it was the best place to hide things. Only perverts would  
think to look there to see if someone was hiding something.

Once all the files were downloaded, Skye pulled the chip out of her system and looked to the Agent.

"That should do it," Skye told her.

Agent May nodded, "Alright, let's get back to the Bus."

* * *

"With all due respect, I don't think we should allow her onto this team," Ward said to his superior.

Skye had held up to her word and gave them all the information she had on Centipede, most of it had turned out to be quite useful. Now some of SHIELD's best were working on the case, but Coulson's team would be the one doing most of the research. However,  
Coulson knew he would need Skye's skill in order to do this. Currently said hacker was downstairs with Agents Fitz and Simmons while May and Ward were in his office.

May didn't trust the girl and neither did Ward and it was all for the right reasons. After all they had found her breaking into SHIELD systems, not to mention she worked for the Rising Tide which was a hacker organization whose entire purpose was to reveal  
confidential information. There was no telling the damage this girl could do from the inside.

"I agree with Ward on this one," May added, "We don't know anything about her."

Coulson smiled in reply, "How often does that happen? When we don't know anything about someone else. This girl is practically a ghost."

"That doesn't mean she should be allowed on this team," May pointed out, her brown eyes scrutinizing her friend.

Coulson nodded and told her, "She wouldn't be _on_ the team per say. She would be a consultant, SHIELD does it all the time. Technically Tony Stark is a consultant."

Ward still did not like the idea, "Technically Skye is a member of the Rising Tide. Not to mention she hacked into HQ:16, left a virus in their systems."

"Yeah, she did all that with her laptop," Coulson said, an impressed grin on his face, "Imagine what she could do with all this."

"I am and that is why I strongly advise against this," Ward said persistently.

Coulson looked at May. He wasn't asking her backup, that much she could gather. He just wanted to know what her issues were on the subject matter, even though he already had a good idea about what she would say.

May spoke, "She's a risk. Not to mention there are two children on this Bus not cleared for combat and you want to add a third."

"At least Fitzsimmons are trained scientist from Shield," Ward pointed out to her.

"I'm still waiting on an objection I haven't anticipated," Coulson told them, "I'm making this call. Your lack of trust is noted, however we need her skills and knowledge in order to learn more about Project Centipede and Deathlok and whatever else we  
might come in contact with, not to mention any other underground programs we don't know about. She's the one who can do this job, she's our girl."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I am overwhelmed by the response to this story! You guys rock.**

 **Reply to Review:**

 **TrooperCam: Thank you for the review and the tip. I didn't even realize I didn't put it in caps until your review.**

 **Guest 1, 2 and 3: Thank you, glad you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Lilomaus223: She will be perfect in combat, but I'm saving that for another chapter. *No spoilers* Thank you for the review.**

 **Gatemaster: Skye will be different from canon. She will be a little... darker I guess you could say and more serious. However she will still show some traits from the show version because she will be putting on an act. And thank you for telling me about Pegasus, I completely overlooked that.**

 **Sinistermorlock: Go for it.**

 **Summary:** **Skye has a secret, one that no one else can ever know. As a child, people wanted to exploit her genius. As a teen, they took advantage of her mind. For two years, Skye had been free but, when she gets on Shield's radar, she has to tread carefully or else they might learn her secret and history will repeat itself.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing. Story idea goes to Annajadekin.**

* * *

 **Chapter Two: Don't Say Too Much**

Skye was almost never surprised. However when the agent, Coulson, had asked to talk to her, she expected it was to talk more about Centipede or Deathlok. Yet he had wanted to talk about neither of those things. Instead he offered her a spot on the team,  
or really he offered her a consultant position. Skye knew she wanted to be on the inside and thought it would have taken more time to be brought aboard this team.

Skye was currently sitting in her little room on the large plane. The bed was pressed against the wall, there was some space between the bed and the door allowing some walking room and a small desk area on her right. It wasn't much space, but it definitely  
was one of the more decent places she had lived in. Skye was fairly certain that the main reason Coulson wanted her on this team was not because of her skills. Her research and personal judgement on Coulson showed him as the type of guy who would  
never abandon someone.

He wanted to help as many people as he possibly could. In his eyes, Skye was positive he saw her as some lost soul, a rebel without a cause. She was going to be his charity case.

The thought made Skye's blood boil.

Quickly, before she let her temper flare up, she pushed the feeling and thoughts aside. There would be a briefing in the main center of the plane, command center seemed like an appropriate name for it. Skye walked out of her bunk and walked over to the  
command center. There was a large screen on the wall and table in the middle that would translate to screen as well.

SHIELD took all the best technology. What she would do if she had all this equipment? Skye knew she would use it all to hack into more places and do more multitasking. Even though she likes to think she could do some serious damage with this tech. Looking  
at the table, which she dubbed as a holo-table, Skye wasn't surprised that most of the world didn't know about machines such as these. SHIELD was full of secrets, no matter how small.

 _Get back here Mary!_

 _Don't let her get away._

 _Somebody help me!_

Skye bit her lip at the voices echoing in her mind. She knew they were just in her head, but they were strong memories that refused to stay buried. The young woman leaned back against the glass wall, counting her breaths she calmed herself and forced  
herself to push the memory away.

"Oh look," Ward said sarcastically, "The convict shows up to briefings on time."

Skye gave him a tight smile, "Yeah. Came here right after I robbed a bank and committed murder."

The agent glared at her, but Skye leveled his gaze. He could push her all he liked, he had no idea what she was capable of. Shortly after Ward arrived, Fitzsimmons walked into the command center both wearing smiles. Even though Skye had known them less  
than twelve hours, she already knew the two of them were inseparable. May walked in with Coulson a beat behind her.

"Glad everyone's here," Coulson said with a grin, "Now let's get down to business. We have an 0-8-4 on our hands in Peru."

Coulson pressed the table and a map of Peru showed up on the monitor. Skye knew what an 0-8-4 was, object of unknown origin. When Skye first hacked SHIELD a few years ago, she memorized a large portion of their protocols and codes like this one.

"An 0-8-4," Skye questioned.

"Oh that's right," Ward said bitterly, "You wouldn't know what that is because you have no training."

"It means an object of unknown origin," Coulson told her ignoring Ward, "SHIELD wants us to investigate it, see if it's useful or poses a threat."

Simmons said to Skye, "SHIELD gets called to check out things before they make it to the public."

Fitz added, "It's our job to keep it out of the wrong hands and such."

"Wait a minute," Ward commented, "SHIELD is okay with us investigating this potentially dangerous weapon with a security hazard?"

"Agent Ward," Coulson said with an exasperated expression.

Skye could only smile at the agent. Her brown eyes were shimmering with mischief as she wondered what she could say to shut the agent down. One of the perks to having her intelligence was being able to read people extremely well, noticing the details  
in their expression, the slight changes in their tone. Not to mention Skye, although she didn't like doing this, could take a person apart with a few words.

When she was in the third grade, a boy had made fun of her for being an orphan. Skye had only seen red at the moment and let her mouth run rampid. It was needless to say every word that came out of her mouth, although most was not foul language, tore  
the boy apart. She could see through anyone's walls and defenses. Could pinpoint their weakness after one meeting. If Skye wanted to, she was certain she would be a badass villain.

Judging by Ward's hostility towards her meant he had serious trust issues, suspected everything and everyone, didn't like the unknown and preferred to keep himself under lock and key. Considering his stance and tone, he had been taught to keep everything  
together. Most likely he was abused as a child and found the only way to take control of his life was to fight for a cause.

"It's alright Agent Coulson," Skye said still smiling, "It is risky that I go on this assignment. After all, I am a criminal. Who knows the trouble I could cause on this investigation."

Ward could only glare at Skye with his arms folded over his chest, nostrils flaring ever so slightly. Although May didn't trust Skye, she trusted Coulson's judgement enough tolerate the young woman. It seemed Agent Ward didn't care what his superior said.  
He may need to work with her when necessary, but that didn't mean he had to be friendly with her.

"Agent Ward if you cannot handle this as a professional, then you can leave the room," Coulson said seriously.

Ward debated his options and decided it would be best to remain quiet. Coulson took that as Ward's way of agreeing to act professional for the time being.

"We go in, investigate and then we come out," Coulson said simply.

May walked out and called, "We leave in two minutes."

Fitzsimmons left to strapped in, May traveled up to the cockpit while Ward went his own way. Coulson nodded to the side, a motion to Skye for her to follow him to a seat. Skye got the message and the two sat down on at a little table with white seats.  
The plane was impressive. It had just about everything a person would need in order to be comfortable.

"Sweet ride," Skye said as she strapped into the couch.

Coulson nodded at that, "Yeah, I earned a little good will from Director Fury after I got hit before the battle of New York."

"You took a bullet," Skye asked surprised.

"Ish," Coulson surprised, "An Asgardian stabbed me through the heart with a Chitauri scepter. The effect was similar."

Skye couldn't argue with that, but she wondered how he had survived being stabbed through the heart with an alien scepter. Even though Skye wasn't great with anatomy, she figured depending on where he was stabbed would have determined how he was able  
to survive. One day she would ask him, if she stayed here that long.

"Got a few weeks R&R and this plane," Coulson continued pulling Skye from her thoughts, "Had it completely refurbished, studs up, spared no expense."

"Yeah," Skye said, "You also went to some tropical place right? What was called, Tahiti?"

Coulson nodded, "It's a magical place."

The lights flickered off followed by the noise most planes had when they were trying to signal the passengers to put on their seat belts. It had been three years since Skye had last been on an airplane. Although she wasn't afraid of flying, she knew that  
there were a good amount things that could go wrong during take-off, landing and even when they were just in the air.

She tried not to think about that though. Instead she let her thoughts wander to the past. Skye glanced out the window and watched as they rose into the sky, a false smile growing on her face. The first and only time Skye had ever left the country was  
in the third grade. By this time, many people new of her above average intelligence.

This had to do with her outstanding test scores and near perfect memory. One foster mother, one who she had been staying with for nine months, had helped her "career" flourish. Before her life took a turn for the worst, this woman had been there for her  
and helped in ways no one else would or even could. Skye had gone overseas to Japan to compete in a music competition, piano, a chess competition in England and more. It had been an exhausting month for the young girl, but she had become a star. Until  
a month after her ninth birthday and the little genius who was slowly rising to the sky had vanished without a trace.

 _Where are we going?_

* * *

Once they had landed in Peru, the team moved out to investigate the 0-8-4. They arrived at an Incan archeological site, it was an area Skye had done some research on a few week ago. There was a group of rebels against the mines here, one of their bases  
was actually five maybe six miles away. As Skye followed Coulson and Fitzsimmons to the temple, she wondered if some rebels would show up.

Coulson had told her, he wanted her to keep this investigation secret. If word got out, it would be her job to steer the public away from this which Skye could agree with. After all the riots going on around here, she knew something like a dangerous object  
with unknown potential would set the country into a frenzy. While Coulson spoke to the man in charge of this site, Skye stood off to the side while Fitzsimmons pulled out their equipment.

She learned they were the seven dwarfs responsible for measuring radiation, collecting data, comparing its frame and structure to other known items. It was quite impressive technology, Skye had to admit it.

"What do we got here guys," Skye said staring at the 0-8-4 in the wall.

The metal reminded Skye of platinum, but as she examined it up close she immediately knew it was not from earth. At the age of ten, Skye memorized every element on this planet and all the elements from other planets that were known. This information she  
had either obtained herself or her "tutors" gave it to her to learn. It was definitely a weapon, Skye knew that much. She recognized the small, barely noticeable smell of the blue energy inside the metal.

Asgardian. Tesseract. Chitari Invasion.

"The objects placement in the fossiliferous in the rock suggests it has been here for at 1500 years," Simmons said looking up from her data pad, "That pre-dates this temple by a millennium."

"It was buried in the rock and the temple was built around it," Skye muttered to herself.

"Ah," Simmons said, "Maybe it's alien."

Fitz spoke next, "Yeah, but it's shape and craftsmanship, it's almost German."

Skye remembered she spent months digging through Europe's dark history, some of the stuff she found showed how places such as Russia and Germany had more advanced technology. German engineers based a good amount of their technology and weapons off of  
foreign objects, alien artifacts to be more specific. The way this 0-8-4 was styled and Fitz's comment triggered her memory.

She knew what this item was and just how dangerous it could be if it got into the wrong. Skye parted her lips slightly, prepared to tell them everything she knew, but abruptly closed her mouth. If they knew about her, they would lock her up like the others  
did. She had to keep her intelligence a secret, if not SHIELD would lock her up or worse, _they_ would find her again.

Coulson told the man in charge of the site to evacuate his team, which was the best thing to do. They needed to get this thing about of the wall, get it to a safe location and out of the wrong hands. If not, this would become a more feared weapon than  
nuclear bombs.

"Sir," Ward said through the speaker, "We have a situation."

"It's the military or the rebels," Skye said to Coulson.

"Not enough gunfire," Coulson replied, "Keep working, I'm on way."

With that, Coulson walked out of the temple to assist May and Ward. Hopefully he could sort this thing out with whatever was going on outside. When Coulson went outside, he hadn't expected to see his old friend Camilla. He knew she worked in military,  
but he didn't know she was a commander. After being able to greet her, properly after both their teams put down their weapons, he was able to tell Ward to let the others know everything was fine.

In the meantime, he would speak with Camilla, catch up a little and work this whole mess out with the 0-8-4. Inside the temple, Fitzsimmons and Skye were still observing the 0-8-4. Fitz made a comment about the item being alive, but Skye knew that was  
a false way to describe the object. It was pulsing with enough energy and power to mimic a more than ten life forces in the same area, but that didn't mean it could be compared to something alive. All of Skye's lessons on alien tech came rushing back  
to her.

This had the same source of power as the tesseract. The item, the weapon, could destroy a life.

"Alive-alive," Skye questioned surprised.

"It has a functioning power source," Fitz said and Simmons added, "Sleepy is reading radionuclides, but they don't match any known isotope."

"I get temporal matches, but even then they seem to shift, is that even possible," Fitz said.

Skye smirked to the wall. They couldn't find a match because SHIELD's database has no knowledge of chemical bonds such as these. All that equipment and resources and still a young woman who lived in a van has more knowledge than this agency.

"Depends on the frequency you search and isotopes you use," Skye whispered repeating a teacher's advice, "It will shift because that is how it stabilizes, through movement. You won't find a match because there is nothing to match it with… unless you break  
it down."

"What," Simmons questioned Skye.

She was certain she heard something very interesting from the young woman across from her. She heard her muttering something about they said, but the words were unclear. If Skye knew something about this, then she hoped the woman would share it.

Skye turned back to Simmons, she wasn't going to blow her cover, "Depends on the temporal radio shifting stuff. It's totally weird right?"

Fitz paid no attention to Skye while Simmons seemed slightly disappointed. Perhaps she misheard or imagined what Skye had said. A moment later, Ward walked in with news.

"We've got company," he said, "National police."

Fitzsimmons said, "What? Why are they here?"

"They heard about this object and probably want to protect it," Ward told them, "This area has lots of rebel uprisings."

Skye couldn't hold back a laugh. There was no way Ward was serious about the rebels wanting to protect this. The rebels were against mining policies and digging into the ground any further than they already had.

"What's so funny," Ward asked Skye bitterly.

"The rebels are fighting against the government's mining, archaeological digging and searching policies," Skye replied, "If anything this is a reason the rebels are fighting. It's fairly kick-ass."

Ward rolled his eyes, "Kick-ass and all the violence."

"That's not what I meant," Skye replied flatly.

Ward ignored her and questioned the scientist, "How much longer?"

"What's the hurry," Simmons asked while Fitz added, "Are we in danger?"

"Not if everyone does their job," Ward said, then turned to Skye, "What is yours exactly?"

Skye made no comment. A few moments of silence passed before the temple started to shake. Rebels. The national police was now fighting the rebels. The four of them needed to get out of there, now. Fitzsimmons packed up their stuff quickly while Ward pulled  
the 0-8-4 out of the wall. Skye knew the weapon would be fine so long as Ward didn't activate it or "pull the trigger."

Meanwhile Fitz was having a melt down because he had to pack his equipment hurriedly and Ward pulled the dangerous weapon out of the wall. They rushed out of the temple only to be welcomed by gunfire causing them to retreat. Ward used one of SHIELD's  
devices, which Skye recognized almost instantly, and rendered the rebels stunned.

All of them were flown back and ten feet away from where the last stood. This was their chance to make a clean getaway. May pulled up the car then and they all climbed in, Coulson climbed into another car with Camilla and her men. Quickly, they all drove  
away from the area.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey readers, sorry for the delay, but I had some catching up to do in school and then before I knew it finals were here. *ugh* However there is good news, once finals are over with, next Wednesday, I will be able to get a set schedule of when I can post. That goes for all my other stories to which need to be updated as well.**

 **Anyway, next chapter will start the course for this story to be more of AU than a canon story. We might even get a look at Skye's mysterious past *hint, hint***

 **As always thank you for the follows, favorites and reviews.**

 **Review Response:**

 **agentcarter45: *Two thumbs up* You rock.**

 **.w20: Thank you and here is your update.**

 **Beatrice Diggory: Glad you enjoyed the history :D.**

 **Gatemaster: Thank you for your review and the Police were trying to protect the area from the rebels because there were a lot of uprisings in that area. Does that make sense?**

 **Summary:** **Skye has a secret, one that no one else can ever know. As a child, people wanted to exploit her genius. As a teen, they took advantage of her mind. For two years, Skye had been free but, when she gets on Shield's radar, she has to tread carefully or else they might learn her secret and history will repeat itself.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

 **Chapter Three: Hell of a Day**

Coulson's team and the remaining members of Camilla's group made it to the Bus in one piece with minimal injuries. They all rushed onto the ramp trying to avoid the bullets fired and get away in one piece. Once everyone everyone was inside and May had  
/closed the ramp, they were able to take off. Skye bent over her knees trying to steady her out of control heart rate. The last time she had been surrounded by this much gunfire had been when she was nineteen, a year before she made her mostly clean  
/get away from the others.

"Got to admit," Skye said breathless, "I miss my van."

At least there it was safe, hidden and people weren't shoot at her. Most of the time, people avoid vans parked in alleyways.

"Now what was the problem," Ward asked Fitz.

"As I said before," Fitz explained from his seat on the floor, "This device has a high frequency, fluctuating, sub-material compression-"

"Fitz, in English," Ward interrupted not following what the scientist said.

"The 0-8-4 is fueled by tesseract technology," Fitz said to him, "Hydra World War II, Captain America. It's full of lethal amounts of gamma radiation."

"Gamma, you're saying it's nuclear," Ward questioned.

"No," Coulson said, "He's saying it's much worse."

Just like that, they all took a step away from the 0-8-4. Skye stepped back as well even though she knew it wasn't going to detonate since no one had done anything activate it, but she needed to look the part of the clueless consultant. Especially if  
/she wanted to keep her cover. Coulson left to go speak to May in the cockpit while the soldiers stayed down below to re-group.

Fitzsimmons, Skye and Ward stayed in the cargo hold, the lab actually, with the device. Skye stood off to the side, watching as Simmons began to handle the device and have a small meltdown over it. It also wasn't helping that Fitz and Ward were having  
/a small disagreement about how to use English. It was a little amusing for Skye to watch them argue.

Coulson had come down to check on everyone, make sure no one was injured. Mostly everyone was just in shock. Coulson told Camilla and her soldiers to head upstairs, after all it would be much more comforting to be there than down here. Once they had all  
/gone up the steps, he stepped into the lab to see Fitz and Ward arguing while Simmons and Skye watched on the sidelines.

Coulson had put their yelling to end, but the tension was still there. This team had come together a week ago, their first mission was to locate Peterson, which they still hadn't completed. Now they were here on a second mission with no team ethic to  
/help them work together. Skye could tell none of them seemed to really like each other. Well FItzsimmons didn't like Ward and Ward didn't like them very much. There was also the matter that Ward seemed to greatly dislike Skye.

"Is this your first mission together," Skye asked them suddenly.

"No," Simmons said, "It's our second, third really. When we brought you on board, that could count as the second one."

Skye nodded, "Yeah, it's obvious none of you have worked together before. Ward doesn't know which one is Fitz and which one is Simmons and the two scientist have seen less gunfire than me and… None of you seem to like each other."

"That's not important," Ward hissed, "I could have taken the enemy if I was alone, but instead I had to worry about three non-combat ready-"

"Whoa," Fitz started, "Whoa, whoa."

"Who do you thinkdesigns your equipment," Simmons snapped, "Good luck going out there with just your bare hands."

Skye had moved over to Coulson with a knowing grin, "You see them proving my point."

"You're not wrong," Coulson told her, he turned to the others, "The kinks still need to be ironed out. Ward, you can speak six languages, Simmons you have two PHDs in fields I can't pronounce, Fitz you are a rocket scientist. Now work it out."

With that, Coulson left the lab leaving the four of them to mull over his words. A few minutes passed before they all split up and went off to their own thing. It had been a tiring day for everyone.

Skye went up to her bunk to get some time alone, maybe work on some of her own projects. Fitzsimmons stayed in the lab and began to do some research on the device before them. May continued to pilot the plane, she had no interest in speaking to the soldiers  
/on board or be with her team for that matter. After some time, Skye decided she would be the bigger person and speak to Ward. Perhaps the two of them could have some sort of cooperation, it would make both of their lives a lot easier.

Skye walked out of her bunk and she made her way to one of the sitting areas on the plane when she passed Coulson and Camilla. In that moment, time began to slow down as Camilla locked eyes with Skye. It took less than a second for Camilla to recognize  
/the young woman before her. The same lost brown eyes, slightly opened mouth as she breathed and curly chestnut hair.

Skye knew who the woman was instantly and by the look in her eyes, Skye knew that Camilla recognized her. They had met three times before, but it had been so long ago that Skye hadn't thought of the woman. Camilla had been working with the others then,  
/but it had been under a different name same with the initials. Coulson and Camilla went upstairs while Skye continued to walk on as if nothing had happened.

 _Who are you?_

 _My name is Caitlin Roberts, I would like to ask for your help._

 _Why?_

 _My colleagues tell me you are really good at what you do and they think you can solve my problem. What do you say Mary?_

Skye bit the inside of her cheek in anger, she wanted to look back at Camilla, but forced herself to keep her eyes forward. When she spotted Ward, she pushed all her previous thoughts and memories away. He was sitting on a white couch, a book in his lap  
/which Skye recognized as Matterhorn. Instead of saying that, she went with something else.

"Hunger Games," she questioned curiously.

"Matterhorn," Ward told her, "It's a book my S.O. gave me to."

Skye furrowed her brow, even though she assumed S.O. stood for superior operative or supervising officer or any number of things.

"S.O. supervising officer," Ward explained to her.

Skye nodded, "Right, well hackers have lingo to. Maybe I'll pick up yours. Anyway I came here to talk.. I know you don't like me, but maybe the two of us can work something out."

"Work something out," Ward questioned setting his book down.

Skye took a seat across from him, she the bottle of alcohol and nodded, "Yeah so we aren't always at each other's throats. Besides, you'll only have to put up with me for little while and then you will never see me again. I figure if we can get along  
/for the short period of time, we'll be better off."

Ward wasn't sure how to feel about this. Skye coming to him now and talking about the two of them tolerating each other until she leaves just didn't sit right with him. Although he didn't trust Skye, he didn't want to just send her away like a piece of  
/junk. After all she had been useful on the Centipede project, who knows what else she could help them with.

"You could be staying longer than you think," Ward told her.

Skye shrugged, "Doesn't matter how long I stay, but look. Let's try to be civil with each other while I'm here anyway. To start us off, I want to explain my point with the rebels. I know it gets violent out there, but I meant the tweets."

"The tweets," Ward said incredulously, "Like for Twitter? You trying to make this better or worse."

Skye scoffed, "Yes Twitter. For the first time in decades Peruvians are organized, thousands of suffering people who have never met are united over a common idea… It's amazing, how people can come together."

"Okay," Ward said.

"The Rising Tide is like that," Skye said thoughtfully, "pieces solving a puzzle. No one person has to know the entire solution, but a hundred people together could solve more than that one person. It may not be like that for all situations, but I find  
/interesting."

Ward leaned forward at that and replied, "Maybe… I think one person should solve the problem. You and I see the world differently is all."

Skye mulled it over, "Yeah, I agree with that."

Skye and Ward continued to talk to each other. Most of it light conversation, but Skye and Ward both felt that had a better understanding towards each other. Skye was good at reading people and she knew his walls were high and thick. She could understand  
/someone like that, someone who wanted to keep themselves closed off from the world. Ward didn't know what it was exactly, but Skye was just Skye. Different from him, from all the people he had met and it was refreshing to meet someone like that. Perhaps  
/he had misjudged her before, maybe he was too harsh on her in the beginning.

Talking to her now, he hoped maybe he could change that. He took a glance around and noticed that the soldiers in the corner hadn't touched their drinks. Not once had they taken more than sip. The two men nodded to each other, not a good a sign. Skye  
/noticed it too. She looked into Ward's eyes trying to convey a message, trouble was coming. Skye had brought a bottle of alcohol over to make a toast, but now it could be used a makeshift weapon. Ward would only use it to hit one of them and then  
/use the glass as a small knife.

"Skye," Ward said, "hand me the bottle."

Skye nodded, she handed him the bottle and glanced to the side. A fight was coming, Skye could feel it in her bones. Since she used to having to be prepared for any upcoming danger, she was quick to pick up on the signs. Skye knew the soldiers would go  
/for May. She was the strongest fighter and the one controlling their flight plan, Camilla would get her men to subdue her.

Ward needed to get to May. Two soldiers came at Ward and he pushed Skye out of the way. She wasn't ready for combat. Skye moved away from the fighting, she wanted to help Ward, but she knew it would be better if she got to May instead. After all, she  
/was piloting this thing. However she was stopped by a soldier. He lounged for her, but Skye was ready for him.

 _The throat Mary. If you can, always aim for the throat._

He threw wild punches, but Skye dodged them easily by leaning away. After the third punch, she could see the frustration clear on the man's face. Despite the situation, she smiled at him. He drew back his arm, getting ready to punch. The world moved in  
/slow motion for Skye, it was a trick she learned when she was fourteen. By slowing it down in her mind, her body could react faster than anyone. Once his arm was straight, she grabbed his forearm, pulled him forward and around. With her back to him,  
/she raised her arm and elbowed him, hard, in the throat.

 _You have skinny elbows._

 _Yeah, so what?_

 _So, use that to your advantage. Bring your opponent in close and thrust. You can do some real damage with your elbows. Try it out._

 _Okay._

The man gasped, Skye elbowed him in the stomach just as hard, not allowing him to catch his breath. He fell to the ground, stunned and unable to breathe. Ward stared at Skye in surprise. She knew how to fight. Skye took a breath, too easy or he was not  
/a good soldier. She glanced to the side to see Ward was looking at her, but he quickly looked away to go back to fighting. _One job Skye, you have one job_. Skye moved past the soldier, only to be stopped by the image on the screen.

Fitzsimmons were being held hostage down below, a soldier held a knife Fitz's throat. A warning. Ward stopped fighting when he saw it and Coulson, who had just made it down the stairs, turned to Camila. A soldier apprehended Skye and Ward, while another  
/went for Coulson. Skye and Ward were brought down to ramp, their hands bound to the door. If this ramp opened, they would fall out of the sky. Right now they needed a plan of escape, a way to get out of this mess.

After going over various plans, Agent May dislocated her wrist and escaped her bounds. Once she took out the guard who was watching them, she went to untie the rest of her team. There plan could work.

* * *

It had been quite the eventful day as far as any of them were concerned. They blew a hole in a plane, saved Coulson from being sucked out of the plane, Skye saved Ward from being pulled out of a plane, May took control of her plane, Fitzsimmons got to  
/see what it was like in the field for real and best of all, no one was seriously injured. Camilla and her soldiers were dropped off somewhere and they would be taken to a prison. Skye, Ward and Coulson stood shoulder to shoulder as Camilla and her  
/remaining soldiers were escorted away.

When Camilla passed, she was the last one to be brought out, Skye stiffened.

 _I have a job for you Mary._

Her memories of meeting the woman those few times fresh in her mind. By the time Skye was eleven, her captors had put her up for sale. If someone needed information or help solving a case, Skye was the one they called.

 _What is it?_

 _That is what I need you to figure out._

Skye watched Camilla with a steady gaze. Her cover will be blown as soon as Camilla can get in contact with Wade. When that happens, Skye knows she will have to leave and stop her search for a little while. Once Camilla had stopped by the car, she turned  
/back to look at Coulson and the two team members who were with him. Before she got in the car, she moved her lips ever so slightly as her eyes locked with Skye's for the second time that day. She mouthed something to her in Spanish, something Skye  
/would always remember.

Skye held Camila's gaze, her posture went rigid and her shoulders tensed. An immediate reaction, the one Camilla had been expecting as she got into the car. Ward hadn't noticed the slight change in Skye, but Coulson did. He couldn't read Camila's lips,  
/but he followed her line of sight to Skye, whose posture was tense. However he made no comment. Although later on, he knew this small interaction would plague his thoughts.

For now they all went inside and traveled to the Slingshot to get rid of the 0-84. Fitzsimmons, Ward and May sat on the ramp while Skye and Coulson stood behind them watching the rocket fly into the sky.

"What a hell of a day," Skye said with an amused grin.

Coulson nodded beside her, "Yeah."

"What am I signing up for Coulson," Skye asked the agent.

"The craziest show on earth," Coulson told her with a grin, "You should stick around, not just because we could use your skills,but because I think you'd enjoy the ride."

Skye's reply was a sideways grin.

* * *

Skye was laying down in her bunk, her back pressed against a small stack of pillows, the heat coming from her laptop keeping her warm as she typed rapidly across her keyboard. In order to stay off the radar on this plane, she had to set up her own personal  
/channel that they wouldn't be able to detect. Most, if not all, of SHIELD's systems and security was total crap, but Skye wanted to be cautious.

Once the channel was complete, she made contact with one of the few people she trusted in this world. His face appeared on the screen and Skye couldn't help, but smile at the sight of him. It had been six months since she last spoke to him, but she had  
/to cut off contact with him for a little while. Especially when she was constantly looking over her shoulder. She didn't want to think of herself as paranoid, but in all honesty, she knew she was.

It was 2:00 in the morning and Skye had made sure everyone else was asleep before she started working on communicating with her friend. However as an extra precaution, she would talk softly and have her headphones in to hear him speak.

"Hey Skye, long time no see," he said with his usual grin.

Skye nodded in response, "Hey Miles. It's good to see you."

Miles nodded, his eyes shimmering as he looked at her, "How have you been? Anything exciting happening on your side of the world?"

"Miles," Skye said with a breathless grin, "You have no idea what's been going on out here. For starters, I'm no longer in my van and I'm with SHIELD."

This caused Miles to raise his eyebrows in surprise, "SHIELD? Are you serious? Why are you with them?"

"Because, I'm going to find answers. One way or another, I will learn what happened to my parents and what exactly SHIELD did to me all those years ago."


	4. Chapter 4

**UPDATE! Now we get a small look into Skye's past and a moment with Ward. Ward will be a villain in this story and this will be a platonic Skyeward story. But I won't be focusing on their relationship until much later, however they have a moment in this chapter.**

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 **CM6SHIELD6PLL6: Happy to hear it, hope this chapter was worth the wait.**

 **Guest: Don't worry, I plan to.**

 **Summary:** **Skye has a secret, one that no one else can ever know. As a child, people wanted to exploit her genius. As a teen, they took advantage of her mind. For two years, Skye had been free but, when she gets on Shield's radar, she has to tread carefully or else they might learn her secret and history will repeat itself.**

* * *

 **Chapter Four: I Couldn't Breathe**

It had been two weeks since Peru. Four days since Skye helped the team with their mission on the scientist, Franklin Hall. It had taken Skye two hours to locate him and from there, they had been able to do their part. It had lead to a number of interesting  
/things for Skye. Skye remembered every detail of the mission, locating Hall, getting caught in his gravitational experiment and so forth.

Her first real mission with SHIELD had gone somewhat well for the hacker. However she wasn't very eager to go out and do something like that again. Unfortunately she knew that wasn't going to be an option for her, especially since she had a cover to maintain.  
/After the mission Coulson thought it would be a good idea to give her an S.O. while she stayed here. Agent May suggested Ward. Skye didn't care much about that though, everything he had taught her so far was stuff she already knew.

Ward had questioned her about her experience with fighting. All she told him was she knew how to punch and kick and a little bit of street fighting. It wasn't a total lie, Skye knew how to street fight and was a black belt in over a dozen martial art  
/forms, but she kept that detail to herself. It was nearly three in the morning, but Skye couldn't sleep. Lately she had been having a lot of her memories turned into nightmares while she slept.

Half of the time they were the exact same as her memory while some were twisted even more than she remembered. Skye had been punching the red punching bag with her bare knuckles for the past half hour. Ward told her to tape her knuckles whenever she used  
/it, but he wasn't here now to reprimand her. Not to mention she preferred to have bare knuckles. Even though it cut her knuckles and stung, she didn't care.

 _I can control this. It's one of the only things besides breathing I can control._

Skye shook the voice of herself away from her mind as she punched harder. When Derek, her former combat instructor, worked with her he would try to control everything, just like the scientists. Just like SHIELD. Everyone Skye knew would try to control  
/her. Skye could only control a few things in her life, one of them was her own version of fighting. Everyone tried to control her, but this was something she could do. The thought sent a wave of white-hot anger through Skye as she continued to punch.

She knew her form was getting sloppier the angrier she got and the wilder her swings became. It didn't matter though, she needed to release her anger somehow because aggressively typing on her keyboard wasn't doing the trick. Mindlessly going over old  
/codes and breaking through game boy level firewalls did little to settle her nerves. She punched left, right, ducked and spun around as she punched with her right arm. She kicked the punching bag with her left and right foot, one after the other before  
/fighting with her hands again.

Skye repeated the same movement twice before she stopped to catch her breath. She pressed her sweaty forehead against the punching bag as she took a deep breath. The flyaways of her brown her stuck to her sweaty skin. The white tank top she wore was wet  
/from all the sweat and her body was on fire.

 _I'm tired Derek!_

 _Does it look like I give a rat's ass about how tired you are Mary? Drill it again, Form V._

Skye took a shaky breath, she could remember the countless hours of physical training. How she always left with new bruises that wouldn't go away for weeks at a time. How whenever she woke up after a day of fighting she could barely stand. Skye never  
/knew which one was worse, the mental or physical training. Each one made her feel like she couldn't breathe.

After physical training, her chest would burn as if it were on fire or like she was breathing in smoke. After a day of mental training, her lungs felt like they were being filled with water and she was drowning. Either way, she felt like she couldn't  
/breathe. They pushed her to hard and to often.

 _You aren't stopping until you get this right._

Skye was too lost in her thoughts to hear Ward talk to her or his footsteps as he came down the stairs. He had woken up to grab a midnight snack when he saw Skye's bunk was open. Having spent a lot time with Skye these past two weeks he knew she was not  
/one to be up before ten in the morning. He searched the Bus until he found her in the cargo hold beating the crap out of a punching bag.

When she relaxed against the punching bag, he noticed how worn out she looked and not just from the work out. Lately he had noticed Skye had become jittery, always looking over her shoulder. She was expecting something, but Ward had no idea what that  
/could be.

"Why aren't your wrists taped," he called to her, trying to sound teasing.

Skye didn't reply, she didn't so much as glance his way. Ward furrowed his brow and walked down the spiral stairs to approach her. When he stood behind her, he saw her shoulders were trembling, her breathing was labored and heavy.

"Skye," he asked and placed a hand on her shoulder.

She jerked at the touch, but froze in her spot. Skye held her breath until she realized who was behind her and that she wasn't in any danger. Her shoulders relaxed and she took a deep breath, forcing oxygen into her lungs despite the pain in her chest.

"Skye are you alright," Ward questioned concern in his voice.

Skye bit down on her lip hard as she tried to swallow the sob that threatened to escape her.

 _My chest hurts. Please let me stop._

Her hands that rested on the punching bag clenched into fists.

"I'm fine," Skye said, but her voice sounded hoarse.

Ward shook his head, even though she couldn't see his response. Her shoulders were shaking, her breathing was labored and Ward just knew she was far from fine or okay.

Ward replied, "You don't look to good Rookie."

Skye jerked away from him, her back still to him as she stared at the back wall. Heart pounding, shoulders trembling, Skye clenched her bruised and slightly bloody knuckles. Her chest was starting to ache, her throat was dry and tightening making it hard  
/to breathe. Skye forced air into her lungs, she had to breathe and focus on the breaths she took.

"Skye," Ward said concerned as he watched his rookie.

Skye took several breaths, each one hurting her chest more than the last.

 _I can't breathe. I can't breathe._

"All in your head," Skye muttered to herself, "All in your head. All in your head."

Now Ward was really worried. He barely heard what Skye said, only that she was muttering to herself.

He approached her cautiously, "Skye. What's wrong?"

Skye jumped at the sound of Ward's voice, she had forgotten he was here. Why was he still here? Skye didn't understandand why he was still spun around to face Ward and she narrowed her eyes at him. Why he was looking at her like that?Like he was concerned.  
He wasn't concerned, none of them were concerned about her. She didn't matter to them and they didn't matter to her.

Skye's panic and fear switched to anger and hostility. How dare he act as if he cared about her. How dare he pretend to be concern. No, she would not fall for that again. All her walls rose sky high, no one would see her for who she was. No one could  
/see her the way she was. He was faking, just like Rose did, like the scientists, like Echo, X-Wing and all the rest of them.

"Nothing," Skye hissed angrily.

Ward raised his hands in surrender at her hostility, "I don't mean any trouble. I just want to help you."

Skye growled through gritted teeth, "I don't _need_ or _want_ your help."

Ward had never seen Skye angry in the time he had known her. She was usually smiling, acting like a bubbly teenager, but tonight she looked angry. Her brown eyes were darker than he had ever seen, the sweat coating her forehead and her bare arms wasn't  
/just from her workout. However what stood out for Ward was the shaking of her shoulders and her clenched fists at her sides. Every breath she took was labored and he knew it was hard for her to breathe.

"What's wrong Skye," Ward asked in a softer tone.

Skye only glared at him with dark brown eyes. Her heart was pounding too fast against her chest, but she couldn't slow it down. She couldn't concentrate on anything but her rising anger and swirling emotions. She was angry at Ward, she was angry Derek,  
/at Coulson, at herself, at everyone. No one ever cared about her, no one ever would care about her. This only made Skye's emotions spiral, she needed to get out of here. Skye didn't notice Ward until his hands were gripping her sweaty shoulders.

"Let go of me," Skye said angrily, but it came out as dry rasps to Ward.

"Skye I need you to calm down," Ward told her in a soft voice she had never heard him use before, "Okay, take a few deep breaths."

Skye's first reaction was to push him away, shove him off her before her walls could come crashing down. After her fear came anger and after her anger came sorrow. In a matter of minutes Skye knew she wouldn't be able to keep her tears at bay. Her eyes  
/burned from the sweat dripping around her face and the tears getting ready to fall. Her breathing was heavy and labored, borderline wheezing.

Ward was worried about Skye. He knew that she had a difficult, even though she hadn't told him or anyone else on the team much about it. With that thought in mind, Ward wondered if maybe her troubled past was causing her to act the way she had been. Ward  
/was no stranger to a dark past, but he wanted to know just how dark her past was.

"Skye, look at me," Ward said gently, but also firm.

Skye lifted her head slightly, her fiery brown eyes met his soft ones. There was a look in them she had never seen in anyone else's eyes except for Coulson. Like they were looking at _her._ As if they really saw her.

That was enough to break Skye's resolve and she choked, "I-I was just mad and I had to let it o-out somehow. I c-couldn't get away from h-him."

"Him," Ward questioned confused.

Skye sighed and the words were off her tongue before she could stop them, "Derek. H-He wouldn't stop. I-I couldn't b-breathe, but he kept going until I-I passed out. He taught m-me to fight, only-only if I didn't do it right he would beat me. I couldn't  
/s-stop him. I never could..."

Skye trailed off as she looked away from Ward, her voice broke as she went on, "He would push me, t-they would all push me so h-hard. So hard that I couldn't b-breathe. The air, it j-just wouldn't- I just couldn't. S-Sometimes I still can't."

Skye released a heavy breath, her hands gripped Ward's shirt tightly in her fists. Never had she told anyone aside from Brenda, someone who she saw as a sister, what she had experienced while captured. Never had she let anyone in, but for the briefest  
/of moments, she let her walls down for Ward. Ward pulled her into a hug, at first she was tense in his arms, but after a minute her shoulders relaxed and she cried.

Against her protest, Skye cried into his shoulder allowing herself this moment of weakness because she needed it. Everything that was weighing on her shoulders came down harder than they had in years. The tears fell down Skye's flushed cheeks as she released  
/the sobs that welled up in her throat.

 _We expect a lot from you Mary._

 _I said again!_

 _Finish the encryption._

 _Don't make any mistakes._

 _What did I tell!_

 _You better be worth all this trouble._

 _Somebody help me!_

"Skye," Ward told her, "Derek isn't here. You don't have to worry about him or they _ever_ again. I know what it's like to be attacked when you're down, but I promise you. If this _Derek_ ever comes around, we'll kick his ass."

In spite of herself, Skye released a breathless chuckle. Skye wanted to believe that, but she knew she would see Derek again. If Camilla kept her promise, Derek would be the least of her worries. Ward had never seen Skye to shaken and… broken than in  
/this moment. Where she forced air into her lungs and held onto his shirt as though it were the only thing keeping her grounded. Her body was still trembling, but her breathing had steadied a little.

Ward looked down at his rookie with a thoughtful gaze, whoever this Derek was had really hurt her and that made Ward angry. In that moment, he made a silent promise to Skye that he would find this person she spoke of and beat the shit out of him on her  
/behalf. Skye was an amazing person, someone filled with so much light. That was the reason Ward didn't like her at first, there was just something good about her.

That goodness was one of two things: fake or innocence. After getting to know Skye, Ward realized that she was someone who was innocent until they weren't anymore.

"Come on," Ward whispered to her gently.

Skye gripped his shirt tighter, not sure what he meant by 'come on' or what he wanted to do. Ward kept one arm around Skye's shoulder and bent on until his arm came under her knees. Skye wrapped her arms around Ward's neck.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you," Skye whispered to him.

Ward smiled at her, "Ah don't worry about it."

Skye rested her head on his shoulder and before she knew it, a dreamless sleep overtook her.

* * *

The next morning, Skye pretended that the events from last night never happened. Ward had confronted her about it, but she said it was nothing important that he needed to be worried about. Of course Ward didn't believe that, but he decided it would be  
/best to leave Skye be. Another time they would talk and Ward hoped he could get some information about this Derek out of her.

It was going to be an easy day for the Bus, Fitzsimmons spent their time in the lab, Ward was in the cargo hold doing some exercises while Skye was doing some research for Coulson in the command center. He had found her sitting in one of the SHIELD cars  
/in the cargo hold and asked some interesting questions.

"You ever rob a bank," Coulson asked her curiously, "Or an armored car? Casino?"

Skye bit her lip, "How about all of the above. Should I be worried you asked me that?"

"Someone is stealing millions of dollars in diamonds," Coulson told her.

Skye nodded, "Okay."

"They've found a way to crack security systems and I need you to figure out their exploit," Coulson replied then raised an eyebrow, "All three?"

Skye breathed a chuckle, "Well a girl's a got to make a living while on her own. I'll see what I can dig up."

This lead to Skye spending half an hour doing research on the diamond robberies. The most recent came up yesterday, her Coulson and May went down to the train station where the theft took place. The witnesses I.D. the thief as a woman, black, in her late  
/twenties with an athletic build. Before the robbery, she closed her eyes and the lights went out. Skye knew exactly who was behind the theft, the description and the closing eyes was all she needed to know, but she didn't say.

Although Skye had never met the woman, she knew her name and face because of the devices she helped build. This was one of the many Skye had hurt. Skye played her part, naive and dorky on the outside, but calculating on the inside. If her hunch or theory  
/was correct and she knew it was, they were dealing with something much more serious than just someone stealing jewels. Skye pulled up some photos of the 25 people, but they weren't interested in those men, it was the people in the background that  
/had their attention.

Skye found the person they were looking for and discretely pulled up front on the screen in Coulson's office.

"What about this one," Skye suggested.

The picture had been posted on facebook, there were two of the men in red mask and five other faces were visible. One of which was the thief they were looking for.

"I could run a facial recognition with our criminal database," May said, but Coulson already found their person.

"Don't bother," he said and zoomed in on a woman, "Her name is Akela Amador."

"Are you certain," May questioned.

"I should be, I trained her," Coulson replied simply.

Skye knew the story behind Akela, she had been a SHIELD agent a few years ago before she was supposedly killed on a mission along with some other agents. Skye knew that wasn't true, the technology and research Skye helped perfect had been down with the  
/aid of Akela. The woman had the device that Skye helped build installed into her. Skye swallowed as she followed Coulson out of his office, not paying attention to the story she already knew. It was because of the work she did that Akela was in this  
/position and stealing the diamonds.

If this small branch of what Skye had done was here, she knew that the base and roots of the tree were not far behind. The three of them met Ward in the command center where they had a few options on where Amador was headed. Skye had her theories about  
/where Akela was headed and what she planned to do with the diamonds, but she didn't voice her thoughts.

It made Skye sick to her stomach, but she couldn't take the chance. They can't know truth about her. Skye knew it was wrong, but it was times like this she was grateful for slightly selfish ways. No one else was going to look out for her, so she had to  
/be the one to make sure sure she didn't get caught. Skye was pulled from her thoughts when May and Ward left the command center after Coulson told them they were keeping this investigation in house. Part of her wanted to say something to Coulson,  
/she could tell he was blaming himself for this.

Skye wanted to tell him this wasn't his fault, but she held her tongue. After all, there were a lot of things he should be held accountable for, maybe this was one of them. Skye left the command center leaving Coulson alone to his thoughts as he came  
/up with a plan. Coulson decided that they would head out to Zloda Belarus. After Ward did his search, this seemed like the place she would be in.

Fitz-Simmons and Skye would stay in the van to search for Amador electronically while Coulson and Ward went searching for her outside. It was up to Skye and Fitz-Simmons to find her if she made contact with her buyer. With all the diamonds she stole,  
/obviously someone was paying her to do it. When Fitz pulled up something on the local frequency, Skye was able to clear up the picture in a few seconds giving them a clean view. At first the scientists thought it was some kind of TV show, but by the  
/movement Skye could tell it was live feed. When their white van came into the picture, Skye knew they were in danger.

"What kind of TV show is this," Fitz questioned, "Hey that looks like our van."

The next thing to worry Skye was when the video turned X-ray allowing the screen to see inside the van.

"What are we looking at," Simmons asked worriedly.

Fitz stood up from his seat and moved his arms, the image of one of the bodies on the screen followed his moves.

"Us," Fitz stated.

"Amador," Skye whispered under her breath as she moved away from the screen.

Skye moved to the passenger seat where she saw Akela driving a truck and slamming it into their van. Fitz-Simmons fell to the floor on impact, Skye shook in her seat. They needed to get out of here before they were killed. If Skye could get to the driver's  
/seat, she could the van moving and away from Amador. Unfortunately she couldn't get the car on in time. Amador rammed her truck into the van and knocked their car over the side where it flipped over.

Skye cursed.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Yay chapter update.**

 **Review Response:**

 **xclairemariex: I agree, poor Skye.**

 **agentcarter45: "Daaaaaaaaang." This made me smile for an hour.**

 **Lecrazz: Awe thank you.**

 **Tamara: The plot gets thicker *smiles*.**

 **Brenda: No spoilers, but it will be interesting.**

 **Guest: Thank you so much, I'm glad you love it.**

 **Summary:** **Skye has a secret, one that no one else can ever know. As a child, people wanted to exploit her genius. As a teen, they took advantage of her mind. For two years, Skye had been free but, when she gets on Shield's radar, she has to tread carefully or else they might learn her secret and history will repeat itself.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing, story idea goes to**

* * *

 **Chapter Five: Eyes**

To say Skye and Fitz-Simmons were shaken up was an understatement. Fitz-Simmons were both still new to this sort of thing and each time they went out there, it left them feeling rattled and unsteady. Skye on the other hand had enough of her demons coming  
to the surface and was just about tired of things popping up. She hoped that Amador would be the last, even she knew that was too much to ask given the circumstances. However Skye couldn't focus on that right now, she had other things more pressing  
on her mind.

They were able to find Amador and were now currently watching live feed from the camera that Skye had hacked into. However what they saw on the monitor was shocking and a little unnerving. For starters, they couldn't see the camera anywhere on her person.  
Skye bit her lip, she knew that if the camera wasn't on her body then that meant she was the camera.

Years ago, when Skye had been barely twelve years old she worked with scientists on technology small enough to function in the human body, she specifically worked on sensitive organs such as the eyes. Skye had successfully made a camera that could be  
a person's eye. When Skye saw the tools on the monitor, she knew exactly what it was.

"It's her," Skye said breathlessly.

Everyone looked at the monitor as Amador put one of the tools on her eyes and began to work.

"She's the camera," May stated even though she didn't quite believe it.

"It switches to backscatter when she closes her eyes," Fitz observed.

Skye looked at Ward, "You're a robot, can you do that?"

"Funny," Ward muttered flatly then asked, "Who has tech like this?"

"We don't, not like this," Fitz told them, "Not this small and internal."

"That's at least a decade ahead of anything we have here," Simmons added, "To think all of the components that go into a regular camera, plus backscatter, the fact that it's miniaturized and doesn't harm her brain it's-" "Genius," Fitz and Simmons said  
together with slight looks of awe.

Skye bit the inside of her lip as she looked down at the lab table. It was a common thing Skye had heard from the other scientists, that everything she did was genius. Unless of course she was practicing something then everything she did was trash. The  
constant verbal abuse and sometimes physical abuse would be too much her to handle and a teenage girl isn't always strong enough to handle it.

Skye had a near perfect memory, but even she had lost count of the times that she has broken down because she couldn't take anymore.

The backscatter on the screen was turned off giving the team a view of Amador again.

"We have to bring her in," Coulson said suddenly.

"We have to take her out," May corrected sharply, "She's a weapon. I'll call H.Q. see if we can bring a task in to help us."

Coulson snapped his gaze to her, "Our team can handle this."

"I get it," May said walking around the table to stand by Coulson, "You feel responsible for this, maybe you pushed her too hard. But that doesn't change the fact that she tried to kill three members of our team."

"If she wanted us dead, we'd be dead," Coulson replied flatly.

"We got lucky," May hissed, "You want to risk our lives again?"

"You told me you were ready for combat, that you had my back," Coulson replied looking down at her

May replied firmly, "Don't ever doubt it, but you are defending this girl at the expense of the team."

"Because we protect our own," Coulson stated.

"With all due respect sir, she's not one of our own," Ward interjected.

Skye hadn't paid much attention to the conversation Coulson and May were having. All her focus had been on the screen, looking for any clues that might show where Amador was and who she was working for. Right now, Skye was waiting for the one in control  
to send a message. That was how this worked, a puppet could only move with someone else pulling the strings. Skye saw it. Amador was sending a message.

"Guys," she said getting their attention.

The message said, _can I sleep_? Skye felt bile burn her throat when the letters typed out on the screen, **stand by**. Even though she hated to be wrong, Skye really hated it when she was right to. E

"She's not being watched, she's being controlled," Coulson observed, "We have to find her. We'll take shifts watching the feed, sooner or later, she'll look at something that will clue us into her location."

"I'll take the first watch," May said.

Coulson gave her a slight nod before walking out of the room.

* * *

Over the next few hours, the team had been sitting around waiting for an update on Amador. Fitzsimmons had gone off to be by themselves, doing whatever it was that made them feel relaxed. Simmons had recovered from the shake up this morning while Fitz  
was still uneasy. Coulson had gone to speak with each of them separately, asking how they were doing and if they needed anything.

The last person on this trek was Skye, but when he went to her bunk, he found it empty. Coulson went down to the cargo hold to see Ward was sitting in the lab in front of the monitor, a book in his hand.

"Have you seen Skye," Coulson asked as he entered the lab.

Ward didn't look up from the book as he replied, "Check the cars."

Coulson nodded and left the lab to go over to the black car on his right. Before Coulson made it to the back seat door, the window rolled down to show Skye.

After watching the feed for a little over an hour she felt incredibly sick to her stomach and needed something to help her relax. Skye always loved cars and after living in a van for two years, she found the space of a back seat to be really comforting.  
Knowing that she was the main reason that Amador was being controlled made her guilt multiply.

How many more people were slaves to her technology? How many more people were being hurt because of what she had done?

"Hey," Coulson said, "Mind if I join you?"

Skye shook her head, she opened the car door and slid to the side letting Coulson sit in the right.

For a moment he looked around the car, "Cozy. I see why you like it here."

Skye replied looking forward, "Yeah well... I see Amador is still in her hotel."

Coulson nodded slowly, "She is."

"Pretty weird day huh," Skye said with a sad smile, "I've never been in a van shaped pinata before."

"That should never have happened," Coulson stated firmly.

Skye looked at Coulson, "It's okay. It wasn't nearly as terrible as watching mom and dad fight. And I've seen a lot of those fights."

"That shouldn't have happened either," Coulson told her, "You regret coming along?"

Skye didn't respond right away. Although being here allowed her to be seen by people from her past, Skye didn't really regret coming. In all honesty, Skye didn't actually regret doing anything. Sure she felt guilty about the technology she created being  
used like this, but she didn't regret making it. She didn't regret solving the problems that the scientists laid out in front of her.

It wasn't about regret, it was about following the path that she wanted to follow. Sometimes she would lose her way, but she would find her way back to the trail she wanted to follow.

"Not really," Skye said thoughtfully.

"You don't," Coulson asked her a little surprised.

Skye smiled at him sadly, "Even though I'm in over my head and I don't know much about you, I don't regret staying... My reasoning is because for some unknown reason you value me… No one's ever valued me before so if you think this woman deserves a second  
chance, we should give it to her."

"Can I ask you something," Coulson asked.

Skye frowned slightly, "That depends. Is it going to be a question about before SHIELD?"

"Yes," Coulson replied, "How long were you living in that van?"

"Two years," Skye said, "I was nineteen, almost twenty, when I got it. Why? Curious as to why I lived there."

"Just a little," Coulson replied grinning.

"Maybe one day, I'll tell you," Skye said, "For now, let's help your friend."

Coulson nodded, "Agreed."

* * *

 **Later The Next Night**

"What a day," Fitz said leaning back against the white couch, "First May goes out to find Amador, then we hack her camera feed, have Ward go undercover with Skye while Simmons and I did surgery."

"So just another day at work," Skye said teasingly.

After Amador had left the team, even May, had decided to sit down in the main area together to wind down. Fitzsimmons were sitting on the white couch, Coulson and Ward were sitting in the white chairs, Ward on the left and Coulson on the right. May stood  
behind the couch, leaning against the wall next to the monitor while Skye laid on the floor with her hands under her head.

Fitz had been recounting the previous day's adventures and the new experiences they had together so far while being on this team. Everyone had to say something new or memorable about the mission today. Skye didn't have many traditions, but sitting here  
with the team and going over old missions was something she hoped they would do again.

Despite everything, today had been a good day for the team. But Skye still did't feel quite like herself. Although the mission had been a success and the guilt in Skye's chest had loosened, she was still far from peaceful. Amador had caught her alone  
a little while before her departure and her words had shaken Skye to the core. The memory, like so many others, had burned itself into her mind.

(Flashback)

 _Skye stood next to Akela in the hallway leading to the empty lab. Akela had spotted Skye down there and said she needed to talk to her before she left to go with SHIELD. At first Skye didn't know why Akela wanted to speak with her, but the memory of the van incident yesterday came to mind. It wasn't an apology Skye was looking for, it was to see if her theory would be proven correct._

 _The two of them didn't have much time to say what needed to be said before unwanted ears heard their words. Akela had never seen or met Skye until now, but she knew about the little genius who helped design the tech in her eye. Mary Sue Poots had done a lot of work for a number of different people. Skye still remembered designing the microscopic tech, helping the other scientists figure out how it could operate with something organic._

 _Mixing technology and biology. "It's like being a cyborg," they told her, "to help people." As usual, they lied to her and Skye felt like a bloody fool for ever believing a word they said. She was too smart to be tricked, but she was blinded by the idea that she could do good._

 _"After I saw you in the van and drove away," Akela started, "They did a facial scan on you which allowed me to see files about the little genius girl, Mary Sue Poots."_

 _Skye laughed bitterly, "Now that's a name I haven't heard in awhile. God I hate that name."_

 _"Does Coulson know, about you," Akela questioned._

 _Skye shook her head no, "He has no idea. None of them do and I plan to keep it that way. If you tell anyone-"_

 _"I won't," Akela said simply, "You should know in one message, they mentioned Wade would be pleased."_

 _Skye inhaled sharply at the name, "I'd imagine they would be."_

 _Akela looked at Skye and told her, "They're coming for you. Whoever this Wade is."_

 _"I know." Skye said, she looked at Akela with somber brown eyes, "I've known for awhile that they would come. After my run in with Camilla, I knew they would start searching. You gave them proof that I was here."_

 _"I'm sorry," Akela said to her._

 _Skye shrugged it off, "Not your doing, besides one way or another they would have found me. I just hoped it wouldn't be soon."_

 _Akela nodded in understanding, knowing what it felt like to be hunted. Worried about being found and knowing it was inevitable. Akela walked away from Skye without another word, Skye watched her meet Coulson down the hall. Part of Skye felt guilty about how she felt towards Coulson, originally it was anger and disgust, but after this adventure, she saw him in a new light._

 _He valued those around him and for some reason he valued her, that was something Skye had never encountered before in her life. People used her and she knew she was important to their cause, but they never valued her for anything other than her intelligence. It was a nice change, but Skye had to remind herself that it wasn't real. That if she wasn't careful, she would be hurt again. But for the first time in her life, Skye was worried about those around her getting hurt as well._

 _Wade was ruthless and there was no telling what they would do once they found her._

(End flashback)

Skye propped herself up on her elbows to look at Fitzsimmons bicker with Ward and Coulson putting in his opinion every now and again. May was standing quietly in the back, watching the scene just as Skye was. Skye released a small sigh as a smile stretched  
across her face. Soon she would have to leave them all behind, maybe with a goodbye or maybe without a word.

One way or another, she would leave SHIELD, leave this team and never look back. Skye wasn't sure why this bothered her so much, but the small pang in her chest told her what she didn't want to know.

She cared about this team, about Fitz, Simmons, May, Ward and Coulson. Even though she hasn't known them for very long, she felt a connection with each of them. It had been a long time since Skye felt a connection to anyone or anything and she didn't  
want to lose that feeling just yet. Maybe it was optimistic or maybe it was naive, but Skye was happy. She was happy to be here.

That was the harsh thing about her reality though. The moment she felt happy was the moment it would all fall apart.

* * *

 **The Boss's Office**

 **Location: Unknown**

"I hope this is important Jonathan," said the man from the front of the large leather chair.

Standing in front of the desk was a young man with golden brown hair who clutched a manila folder to chest tightly. He hated being the one sent to speak to the Boss, especially when the man was busy with other affairs. The Boss was not a pleasant man  
to be around or to work for. Everyone hated to be in hated to be in his presence, but no one would dare say this out loud.

"It is sir," Jonathan said calmly, "This is involving the Transcendence Project."

The Boss frowned, he hadn't heard anything from that project for nearly four years after their experiment had escaped and was yet to be captured. He turned his chair around to face Jonathan with coal black eyes.

"Excuse me," the Boss questioned darkly, "Did I hear you correctly boy?"

Jonathan swallowed his fear and replied, "Yes sir. We believe to have found a match for Mary."

The Boss leaned forward, his elbows on the desk as his head rested on his hands. The Transcendence project had been incredibly important to him and had brought a majority of his clientele as well as his profits. After the loss of his pet, he lost a lot  
of money and had been livid. He was still angry, but all would be forgiven if they would bring his pet back alive and in one piece.

"Show me," the Boss demanded in a calm tone.

Jonathan nodded and placed the folded on the desk. The Boss opened the manila folder. An image of a young woman with dark brown eyes, chestnut brown hair and light olive skin was before him. Underneath the image was a picture of Mary taken from roughly  
two years ago. The faces were the same, except in the first image the woman's hair was lighter and facial structure more defined.

"From what we have gathered, this is Mary, but she calls herself Skye," Jonathan started, "She is a hacker for the Rising Tide and is currently with SHIELD."

The Boss looked inside the rest of the folder, a report from Camila and the scan results that Jonathan had spoken about. Camila had contacted him about Mary recently, except he had put her off saying she had no proof other than a hunch. However, the facial  
recognition software was flawless and he should know considering the girl they were looking for was the perfect genius who designed it.

"Hmmm," the Boss started looking at her picture, "Where is she?"

"On a SHIELD plane that holds an elite team," Jonathan answered.

The Boss nodded, "Find them. I don't care what you with SHIELD's elite team, but bring her to me. You and your team will go locate her and bring her back here. Take Derek with you as well, he will be able to tell if it's her by the way she reacts to the  
serum."

"Yes sir, I'll get them ready immediately."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Yay, another update and the longest chapter yet. I don't want to spoil anything, but something big is going to happen this chapter, *wink***

 **Review Response:**

 **Carebear02: Well you're going to have to wait until after this chapter.**

 **ABBSNCISLADENSI: Thank you and it will be a little bit of both. The next few chapters are more AU, but there are going to be more episode based chapters to.**

 **Guest: I'm glad you love it and you'll have to wait and see.**

 **Brenda: Yeah, I know, but no worries. Skye gets better after next chapter.**

 **Tamara: Thank you.**

 **Guest 2: That made me laugh.**

 **Summary:** **Skye has a secret, one that no one else can ever know. As a child, people wanted to exploit her genius. As a teen, they took advantage of her mind. For two years, Skye had been free but, when she gets on Shield's radar, she has to tread carefully or else they might learn her secret and history will repeat itself.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing, story idea goes to Annajadekin.**

* * *

 **Chapter Six: Miss Me?**

Skye was lying on her bed in her bunk doing some binge watching since the team didn't have a mission and she had already done her "chores" for the day, not to mention her training was over. It had been a few days since the Amador mission, but oddly things  
weren't going slow like Skye had thought. In the morning she woke before everyone else, except May, and would do some work on her laptop.

The search for her parents had hit yet another dead end, but she was optimistic about the idea of being able to find them. Despite her near-perfect memory, there were some holes that Skye desperately needed to fill. There was a time before she was put  
into the foster system, before she was left at the orphanage that she couldn't quite place.

 _Hi, I'm Daisy._

Skye stopped her typing for a moment, the sound of her child voice in her mind. When she was roughly three years old, there had been an incident where she along with her mom and dad were taken in by SHIELD. It was blurry and hard to put the pieces together,  
this was one of the only memories Skye had trouble remembering. She could remember sitting in her father's lap one minute, the next she was in a car with her mom and her dad was nowhere to be found. Somehow she ended up on the street, covered in dirt,  
smoke and blood. She had wandered far from the car and had entered a restaurant.

 _Hi, I'm Daisy. Can you please help me?_

The hostess got down to her level and said she would help her. The police arrived an hour later, they said there was an accident down the road, no survivors. However Skye knew that wasn't true. Call it a hunch or call her stubborn, but she knew her parents  
were alive and SHIELD had done something to them. Had done something to her. When they placed Skye in the system her name had been changed.

At the orphanage she had refused to give her name, saying they didn't need to know and that it wasn't theirs. Skye leaned back against her bed frame, the memories of that week washing over her like a tidal wave of images. The sound of beeping followed  
by four knocks pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Yes," Skye answered.

Her door slid open, Ward leaned in and said, "Mission briefing. One minute."

Skye rolled her eyes, she placed her laptop on the white covers and slid off the bed. She followed Ward out of her bunk and over to the command center where Coulson and May were waiting, Fitzsimmons arrived a minute later. One of SHIELD's powered individuals  
had gone missing in Hong Kong because someone leaked his information. A hacker from the Rising Tide.

Skye idly worked with Rising Tide, but she was never a firm believer in what they did, only that she agreed with some principles and disagreed with others. The only real ties Skye had to the Rising Tide were helping her perfect her hacking skills and  
giving her a friend. Skye was now standing in Coulson's office and she suddenly felt like a child who was caught doing something they weren't supposed to do.

Since Skye had a history with the Rising Tide, was an expert hacker and currently on a SHIELD plane, it didn't look good for her at the moment.

"I didn't do this," Skye said earnestly, "It wasn't me."

"No one's saying it was," Ward told her gently.

Skye willed herself to bring tears to her eyes as she said, "But you're thinking it! I can see it on your faces."

"We're assessing the situation," Coulson stated coolly.

"The Rising Tide has hundreds, thousands, of hackers world wide," Skye replied adding a hint of desperation to her voice, "Let me prove it. I'll trace the hack."

Ward nodded, he folded his arms over his chest, "I believe her, sir. If she's telling the truth, we need to find the person responsible."

"Dig up something, and fast," Coulson told her, "The longer Mr Chan's missing, the more danger he's in."

Skye didn't say anything as she left his office to go to the command center, a tiny smile on her face as she walked down the stairs. Never had she been so grateful for her control over her emotions in all her life. If past lives were real, Skye was convinced  
she was an actress.

It took Skye fifteen minutes to trace the hack to Austin, Texas and after another minute of typing, she found out the identity of the hacker. Miles Lydon, one of the best hackers in the world and one of her closest friend. Skye licked her lips and mentally  
cursed him. Out of all the hackers in the world, it had to be one she was close with. May set a course for Austin, they were going to bring Miles in for questioning and see what he knew about Chan.

* * *

"What has gotten into you," Miles asked her confused, "They are taking our basic rights away Skye."

Skye narrowed her eyes at her friend as she hissed, "Enough with the manifesto Miles. Someone is going to be seriously hurt because of that hack. Either you tell me what you know or you tell them."

Skye had been arguing with Miles for the past ten minutes about the hacking and what he had done by doing so. Coulson, May and Ward had entered the room about two minutes into the fight when they heard breaking glass. In her fit of anger, Skye had taken  
his plant vase and threw it at him, only he dodged it and it shattered against the wall. At the moment, Skye was standing in front of Miles, looking down at him while he sat on the couch.

Coulson and May were standing a little off to the side, waiting for the argument to finish, but something told them it was going to go on for awhile. When Skye told them that she knew Miles as a friend, she asked if she could be the one to talk to him  
first before they tried to interrogate him. So far, things weren't going so well as Miles was not very forthcoming with the information they needed.

It was incredibly bothersome to Skye that Miles wouldn't just tell her what she needed to go so they could leave, but she noticed Miles wasn't acting like himself. Sure he was spouting off his usual platitudes and morals about freedom of information,  
but she could tell something was off. He knew was guilty and Skye knew it to.

Skye ran her fingers through her brown hair and sighed, "Miles. You need to come with us."

"I don't have to answer to them Skye," Miles replied simply.

"No," Skye questioned an eyebrow raised, "You have to answer for Mr Chan. What happened to him?"

"I don't know who that is," Miles said honestly, "Do you even hear yourself Skye? What have they brainwashed you?"

"I am going to strangle you if you don't cut it out," Skye said through gritted teeth. Skye took a deep breath, regaining control of her anger as she said, "Miles please."

Miles frowned at Skye, the pleading look she gave him was enough to make him reconsider his options. Besides, there was something he still had to do before he was off the hook. Miles watched his friend with uncertain eyes, but he nodded his head. Maybe,  
just maybe, if he played by their game he would be able to get out of here sooner.

"Okay," Miles whispered, "I'll tell you what I know."

Skye released a quiet sigh, "Thank you."

Miles nodded to her, a small smile on his face. He knew he shouldn't have hacked SHIELD while she was there, but he had to get inside. It wasn't up to him. Coulson said, "Bring him in." May went over and brought Miles to his feet before leading him out  
of the room. Skye didn't follow right away, instead she stayed in her place with her arms wrapped her around her stomach.

She knew she shouldn't be so hard Miles, but she needed to keep up appearances and she was really angry with him. He knew she was in SHIELD and that was what bothered Skye the most, indirectly he put her in jeopardy as well as an innocent man. However  
this didn't make sense. Miles might be rash, but he wasn't an idiot and would have known hacking SHIELD through the Rising Tide would have hurt her. Something else was going on, Skye just _knew_ it. Coulson looked back at Skye, a concerned look  
on his face.

"Skye," Coulson asked as he went over to her, "Are you alright?"

Skye shrugged and began to walk away, "I am, it's just… I know Miles and he's harmless, an idealist who believes information should be free for everyone."

"How long have you two known each other," Coulson asked from her side.

"We met six years ago," Skye replied looking down, "Both of us had come from a hard time and we looked after each other. Originally I wasn't going to tell you that I knew him as a friend, but I figured that I might be able to help him more this way."

Coulson nodded in understanding, "I'm glad you did. Come on. We need to get to Hong Kong."

* * *

The next time Skye spoke with Miles, things went a lot smoother than she had originally expected. Instead of him spouting off his morals, platitudes and the manifestos, he told her everything he knew about the information and who he gave it to. However  
there were two things that Miles had said while cuffed to the metal table that broke her world. The first thing, he sold information. The second, the money came from an eco-research lab, studying centipedes.

Skye was in the command center, pulling up the schematics for the Centipede lab Miles took money from. It would be her job to make sure the security system stayed off and help guide the SHIELD teams through the lab. The whole time Skye stood there typing,  
she forced herself not to give into her panic attack.

 _They were studying centipedes. What could be so harmless about that?_

When Miles said that, all Skye saw was red and Mike. She didn't know Mike well, only that he was suffering because of her serum. Skye tried not to let the bile rise in her throat now that she realized what was going to happen to Chan. Skye had worked  
on the centipede project, but she left before she could finish the formula. The only reason why there were still some subjects alive was because of the chemicals she mixed together that were similar to the isotopes in the ICERS.

They weren't the same, the ICERS were definitely stronger with a few more ingredients inside that Skye's draft formula didn't have. Although it still did it's purpose, the person injected with the centipede serum required constant injections of the stabilizing  
formula. That wasn't enough for Centipede, they needed something permanent. Skye pushed the thoughts from her mind.

"Skye," Ward said moving to her side, "Coulson and the others are ready to go."

Skye nodded, "Good. I've sent the layout to Coulson."

Ward nodded and now all they could do was wait and see.

* * *

The main objective of this mission had not been a success, but Skye had been able to get some more dirt on Centipede. Unfortunately, Mr Chan was dead. Although Skye had never met him, the same crushing guilt she felt for what happened to Mike reared its  
ugly head onto her again. No matter where she goes, somehow or someway, her past only ends up hurting others.

Today it had taken another life and it nearly cost her a good friend. Miles had helped them on their mission and even though Skye was furious with him, she was still sad to see him go. On the bright side, he did apologize for what he had, he even gave  
the money to the fallen Agent's family, he never meant for anyone to get hurt. Skye knew Miles was a good person, sometimes he just seemed to get lost on his way.

Skye could understand what that was like.

"Don't forget me," Miles said to her softly.

Skye gave him a weak smile in return, "Never."

Miles was getting ready to leave, but he stood in his spot his back to the SHIELD team. The guilt gnawed at his stomach as he thought of what he was about to do to his friend, to one of the few people he actually loved in this world.

Fitzsimmons were standing on the Bus ramp in the hangar while May, Coulson, Ward and Skye a little outside watching Miles depart. Skye stood with her arms wrapped around her, she wondered why Miles had stopped walking and just stood there. Miles turned  
around to look at Skye, the look in his eyes was one she had never seen on his face before. It was a mix between guilt, regret and sorrow.

Skye opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but her breath caught in her throat when a strange and familiar noise entered her ears. The noise a TV makes when all there is, is static mixed with the raised pitch of white noise. That was the low setting,  
the high setting sounded more like a shrieking dental drill and car alarm. Her child voice screamed into her mind, _Ah, what is that?!_

 _Your white noise._

The noise filled Skye's mind, ringing in her head as the world began to spin. She lost her footing for a moment, nearly collapsing on the concrete, but luckily Ward reacted instantly, gripping her upper arm and forearm to keep her steady.

"You okay," Ward asked, but Skye didn't hear him.

All she could hear was white noise. When Skye was training, the scientists and doctors would use white noise the way pet trainers use a shock collar on their dogs. If Skye did something wrong, regardless of how important or miniscule it was, the white  
noise would fill the room attacking her mind. For some reason Skye didn't know, her mind worked differently than others and the scientists used to their advantage. They created the white noise and made it so only Skye could hear it.

One time they had wired it all the way up that she had gotten a nose bleed and passed out from the pain in her skull. As if a bomb had gone off between her ears. She knew the frequency was set on low because her equilibrium was off, if it was on it's  
highest setting she wouldn't be able to stand at all. However it had been two years and a few months since she had last heard the shredded noise and it was affecting her worse than before despite what she knew was the low setting.

"Skye are you alright," Coulson asked worriedly as Skye struggled to stay standing, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Skye squeezed her eyes tight, they can't hear it, only she can. Her brain felt like it was being ripped to pieces by the noise and it hurt, far too much for her to handle. Skye released a hoarse cry, her knees starting to give out, but Ward brought her  
left arm around his shoulders to keep her standing. She hung her head, trying to block out the white noise only it was no use, she tried focusing on the words around her. Skye's heart began to pick up speed as her fear began to consume her.

"You have thirty seconds to get her out of here," Miles told them hastily, "Go now, before they come."

"Who's coming," May questioned her eyes narrowed.

Miles replied darkly, "It doesn't matter, get her on that plane and get out of here before _they_ arrive. Hurry you don't have much time."

"What have you done," whispered a hoarse and terrified voice.

Skye weakly lifted her head to look at Miles, her eyes filled with unshed tears, sweat coating her forehead and blood beginning to drip from her nose. The weight of his betrayal hurt far more than any other betrayal she had felt in all her life. She had  
trusted him and now she was going to pay the ultimate price for it. Forget the pain in her head, the pain in her heart made the white noise feel as though she had food headache. Skye let the tears fall as she stared into Miles eyes.

"You- you called them," Skye whimpered, "You t-told them where I-I was."

Miles said sadly, "I'm so sorry Skye. They took Cass, if I didn't help them, they were going to kill her. I had to tell them where you were."

"That's why you h-hacked SHIELD," Skye whispered, _because I was there_.

A wave of nausea washed over Skye like a tidal wave. She suppressed a groan as she started to bend over, but Ward forced her to stay upright.

"Who did you call exactly," Ward asked, struggling to hold in his anger.

Miles hesitated, "There are some people who... who have been after Skye."

"Not another word," Skye screamed at him.

Skye forced herself to stand up, but the sudden action caused the pain in her head to intensify and she leaned against Ward for support. After everything she had done to keep her past a secret, after everything she did to make sure they never knew the  
truth, she couldn't let them know. She just couldn't.

"They're going to find out anyway," Miles said, "They're coming here, now if they aren't here already."

"I hate you," Skye whispered as more tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Get Skye to the plane, now," Coulson ordered, his eyes staring at Miles, "May, get this plane in air. Explain yourself Miles."

"There's no time," Miles said desperately, "Just get her out of here."

Coulson had no idea what was happening with Skye or who was coming for her, but no one would touch Skye as far as he was concerned. He briefly glanced at Skye to see her usual bright eyes were dimming, her golden skin had paled, sweat coated her face  
and there was blood dripping from her face. Fear shook Coulson, what was happening to Skye? How was this happening to her? Who was doing this?

Ward got down and lifted Skye bridal style into his arms. She gasped at the sudden movement, but wrapped her arms tightly around Ward's neck, clinging to him like a lifeline. Skye buried her face into Ward's shoulder, trying not to sob at the emotional  
and physical pain she was in.

 _Make it stop! Please, somebody, help!_

Ward held Skye tightly in his arms and whispered, "It's okay Skye. It's going to be okay."

May and Ward started to walk back to the Bus onto to stop when they saw Fitzsimmons being held by figures in black, the glint of metal against their necks. Coulson along with Ward and May stood frozen in their spots, wondering what their plan of action  
should be. When Ward stopped moving, Skye turned her head to see the figures in black, holding her friend hostage.

"They're here," Skye choked out.

"Who's here," Coulson asked her worriedly.

She looked at Coulson over Ward's shoulder and strained to say, "Wade."

Coulson had never heard or met anyone with that name, but judging by how Skye and Miles spoke about them, he knew it wasn't good. Coulson would have to question Skye about this later, but for now his focus was on getting out of here.

"Put me down," Skye said to Ward.

Ward hesitated, "Skye I don't th-"

"Put me down," Skye repeated, her voice desperate, "Please."

Ward didn't give into her request, instead he kept Skye firmly in his arms and she didn't protest again. She squeezed her eyes shut, her teeth gritted as she tried to block out the ever present noise ringing in her ears. May looked at Skye, her eyes showing  
concern for the younger woman who looked so small in Ward's arms. Whatever was happening, was something Skye had been fearing.

Even though May never said anything, she knew Skye was running and hiding from something. To anyone else it wasn't really noticeable, but to May, she could read all the signs. Skye hid them well, but not well enough for May to not notice.

"Grant," Skye whispered, "Set me down."

Ward took his eyes off of Fitzsimmons to look down at Skye, her brown eyes burning into his own. It would make him feel better if she stayed in his arms, but the desperate, pleading look she gave him forced him to set her down. He set her gently on her  
feet and he was surprised that she didn't lose her balance. However he kept one under her elbow incase she did lost her footing.

The white noise had finally stopped, but the pain in Skye head had yet to fade away. The dark figures walked forward, keeping the knives pressed closely against the scientists necks to make sure they wouldn't try anything.

"Nobody move," said one of the figures, then gestured to Skye, "When the others come down, do not fight them. Or else _she'll_ get it."

"Who are you," Coulson asked them.

The second figure growled, "No talking either. When the head comes down, he might answer your pathetic questions. Now step away from her."

Coulson, Ward and May looked at Skye, hoping to find some answers as to what exactly was going on. However she didn't look at them, her gaze was focused upward where a helicopter was hovering. It was low enough to cause a lot of wind to whip around them,  
but enough for Skye's flyaway's to twirl. Skye knew she should say something to the others. She knew she should, but she couldn't bring herself to speak.

A dozen figures in black dropped down from the helicopter above, surrounding all of them in the process. Ward, May and Coulson raised their hands as the figures pointed their guns at them. One figure went to Coulson, another to May and another to Ward,  
checking them for weapons before locking their hands behind their backs. None of them touched Skye and she immediately knew why they didn't just take her away like usual.

A dark voice filled the air and suddenly the warm night breeze felt icy cold to Skye, she could feel the goosebumps crawl up and down her body. Skye turned around to face the source of one of the many voices to haunt her sleep and torment her thoughts  
in the light.

"Derek," Skye breathed out.

Derek grinned at her, a sadistic glint in his eyes, "Hello Mary. Miss me?

* * *

 ***dun dun dunnnn* Cliffhanger. Alright guys, Skye's fate is up to you now, you decide in the comments. Will Derek take Skye away or will the team protect her?**

 **Ready, set, go.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Votes are in, Skye will be protected by the team BUT two reviews gave me an idea that tweaked the original chapter. Don't worry, the team still protects Skye, but not right away. You'll see what I mean when you start reading.**

 ***Side story* When I was asking for some advice on the story, my friend told me that more people would want Skye to be taken, but I figured she had suffered enough. However my friend bet me ten dollars that you guys would want Skye captured while I said more people want Skye to be free. Since the votes said Skye should be protected, I won the bet yay. So adding onto my thanks for follow, favorites and reviews, thank you for getting me money.**

 **Review Response:**

 **agentcarter45: Thank you.**

 **carebear02: I really like your suggestion, you'll see part of it in this chapter.**

 **SLYNNR: The Cavalry does make an appearance, but not this chapter, in the next one definitely. As for Hawkeye and Black Widow... I'll keep them in mind.**

 **lexie: Glad you're enjoying this story.**

 **Brenda: Thank you and I agree, next chapter there will be some much needed fluff.**

 **Guest 1: Awe, thank you.**

 **Tamara: I know, but she will be okay.**

 **That BIRCH: Thank you. You and carebear02 gave me an idea that is used in this chapter. Don't worry Skye intends on keeping her secrets locked away, but some of your questions will be answered fairly soon.**

 **Guest 2: Thank you, greetings from America.**

 **Summary:** **Skye has a secret, one that no one else can ever know. As a child, people wanted to exploit her genius. As a teen, they took advantage of her mind. For two years, Skye had been free but, when she gets on Shield's radar, she has to tread carefully or else they might learn her secret and history will repeat itself.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing, story idea goes to Annajadekin.**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

If Skye wasn't so shocked or light headed from the pain, she would have taken off into the night, never to be seen again. After two years and a few months, Derek looked exactly like how she had left him, the same dark brown nearly black eyes staring at  
her as though she were a prize. His brown hair was still cut in the military style, the three pink scars on his right cheek made Skye shiver.

Skye took a glance at the others, May, Coulson, Ward and Fitzsimmons had been lined on shoulder to shoulder on her left. Miles stood off to the side, one guard beside him. None of the figures had come over to her, she assumed Derek wanted to be the one  
to take her down. It always did give him pleasure knowing that he had power over her.

The thought made Skye's blood boil.

"Well aren't you going to introduce me to your friends Mary," Derek asked with a smirk.

Skye hissed at him, "Don't call me that."

"I see someone still has an attitude," Derek said walking over to her, closing the distance between them.

Skye wanted to back away, she desperately wanted to, but she forced herself to stand her ground. He already won this battle, however she wanted to hold out as long as she could. Derek towered over Skye, even though he was only a foot taller than her,  
she still felt like he was mount Everest and she was a fish at the bottom of the ocean. Her heart hammered away in her chest, her entire body screamed for her to run, but she couldn't bring herself to move or look away.

"You took Cass," Skye said hoarsely, "Give her back."

Derek grinned twistedly, "As you wish. Bring out the girl."

Miles turned around, the black car, that was supposed to belong to a SHIELD, backdoor opened. A young girl, roughly seventeen years old, stepped out of the car. From what Skye could tell she was unharmed, no physical injuries and she didn't look disheveled.  
That was a good sign. She looked like the female version of Miles in Skye's opinion. The real difference was her longer hair was lighter and eyes darker than his.

"Miles, Skye," she cried and raced forward.

Miles moved away from the guard and went over to her, he wrapped his arms around her tightly and buried his face in her shoulder. The sight brought a weak smile to Skye's face. Although Skye wanted to blame Miles, to hate him for doing this to her, she  
couldn't hold it against. Cass was his sister, she meant the world to him. Of course she was still furious with him and would probably never talk to him again, but she couldn't really blame him.

No matter how much she wanted to.

Cass let go of her brother to look over at Skye. Her once bright and relieved smile changed to a frown, her blue eyes filled with concern as she looked at her friend. Even though Cass didn't know the full story about Skye's past, she did know that the  
people hunting her ruthless. The past few days were proof of that.

"Skye," Cass called, her expression worried.

Skye looked away and focused on Derek, "You got what you came here for. Let them go, _all_ of them."

"Are you giving me demands," Derek whispered darkly.

Skye kept her mouth closed in a firm line, her brown eyes narrowed as she thought of fifty different ways to kill him here and now. She wouldn't touch him though. Too many guns aimed at her, too many chances on the lives around her that she couldn't take.

Derek waved his hand, the guards closest to Miles and Cass grabbed their arms and pulled them away. Skye forced herself not to look as they were taken away, but she couldn't block out their voices.

"Skye!"

"I'm sorry. I never meant for this happen!"

"Wait, stop. No, Miles do something!"

The slamming of a car door silenced their cries, followed by the screeching of tires. Skye released a heavy sigh. For now they wouldn't be involved, but SHIELD was still here, her team was still here. Briefly she wondered what must be going through their  
heads right now, wondering who these people are, why they want Skye, why this guy calls her Mary. A large part of Skye hoped she wouldn't have to explain any of this to them.

Fitzsimmons stood frozen in their spots, confused expressions on their faces as they tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together. However there were too many missing pieces for any of it to make sense to them. The scientists feared for Skye. May and  
Coulson felt a similar way to the scientists, except Coulson was more worried than May was. Although May was definitely concerned, she was more interested why these people wanted Skye and the secrets she had kept.

Ward was the most curious about this situation, especially when he heard Skye utter the name of the man who tormented her. At first he assumed Derek was an abusive foster parent, but now he wasn't so sure. However he did know that he was angry. Angry  
at the Skye was hurt, angry that he was powerless to do anything, but watch.

Derek brought his hand under Skye's chin and forced her to look up at him. His dark eyes studied her, taking in how she looked and how she had grown. The corners of his mouth twitched up, the spark in her eyes had never been this brought before. This  
meant she would be a challenge. Derek smiled at her and he felt Skye shiver.

"Sir," a guard near the SHIELD agents said, "What should we do with them?"

Derek kept his eyes on Skye as he replied, "What do you think Mary? Should we leave them here or should they come with us?"

"Can you stop being such an ass for two minutes," Skye snapped before she could stop herself.

Without warning, the white noise filled her senses once again, only this time stronger than she was expecting. Skye couldn't hold back a scream of surprise as she fell onto her knees in pain.

"Skye," called Ward when she fell.

Coulson glared at Derek, "What are you doing to her?"

Derek didn't look their way, he only focused on the trembling woman at his feet. Coulson looked to May, they needed a plan to get out of here and get Skye away from these people. Skye coughed weakly, blood hit the pavement under her and she grimaced at  
the sight.

"What have I told you about that mouth Mary," Derek said calmly, "It's only going to get you into trouble."

Skye looked over at the others, watching in anticipation. Fitzsimmons looked the most frightened by the situation, May had a calm and thoughtful expression on her face. Coulson and Ward on the other hand showed the most emotions, Coulson's face held worry  
while Ward's eyes burned with anger. Derek got down on one knee to be eye level with Skye. He put his fingers on her cheek and brought her gaze back to him.

"I see you've made some friends," Derek commented darkly, "That's cute, but playtimes over."

Derek stood up while Skye could only glare him, she knew exactly what kind of game he was playing and she wasn't going to go along with. He wanted her to break down here, to beg, to plead, to do anything that showed him she was still the scared girl he  
tortured. Skye couldn't give him that satisfaction. However the next words to leave his lips sent pure fear throughout her entire body.

"Boss wants to see you."

Skye jerked away from Derek. Her shoulders trembled, she could hear herself screaming, she could see the Boss smiling down at her as she did what he wanted her to. All the torture, all the tests, every single thing they had ever done to her came to the  
front of her mind. _Somebody help me! I can't breathe! It hurts, please stop._

"You can't run away from this Mary," Derek said, taking a step closer to her.

Skye shook her head, "Stop calling me that!"

"Why, does it bother you," Derek asked mockingly.

"You really don't want me to answer that," Skye growled, wiping the blood off her face.

Derek only smirked in reply, "That's probably for the best _Mary_. Seize her."

Before Skye could blink, two of his guards were at her side, with iron grips, they forced her onto her feet. Skye knew struggling against them would be pointless, but her fight or flight instincts were starting to kick in. She wouldn't go down without  
a fight, she wouldn't, she couldn't. She just needed to find the right time to get the upper hand on them, now wouldn't work when Derek was so close. He would stop her in seconds, he always won in a fight.

Derek opened the pocket on his belt and pulled something Skye hated with every fiber of her being. Skye stopped all her thinking and just moved. She had to get away before he could use _that_ on her. It was worse than shocks. It was worse than the  
white noise. Her reaction had been the one Derek was hoping for, bringing a sadistic smile to his face.

Derek said as he stood in front Skye, "You can relax. This isn't the... _good_ stuff that I know you love."

Skye instantly relaxed at his words, her worst fear wouldn't be realized tonight which caused her hammering heart to steady. For some reason that not even Skye could explain, common drugs and serums didn't work on her. The doctors assumed it had something  
to do with her brains chemistry and signals it sent throughout her body. They never determined why, they only focused on a solution.

Drugs that would work on Skye, the white noise and all kinds of experimental things were used to keep the girl in line. Skye knew every drug or serum they used on her by heart. If Derek didn't bring her special one, then he would have brought what she  
called, sleep-aid. It was a combination of sleep inducers, chloroform, anesthesia and more. On anyone else, it would be strong enough to put them into a coma

On Skye, it was strong enough to keep her under for more than twelve hours. Skye hated it.

Derek moved close to Skye, she recoiled when he pressed the needle into her neck. When he was done, he took a step back from Skye and she blinked her eyes a few times. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Coulson, Ward and even May were struggling  
against their captors. It was Fitzsimmons who were frozen in fear as they watched their friend.

Skye glared at him.

Derek replied ignoring her stare, "Hey, I did you a favor. Boss wanted me to inject you with the real stuff to make sure it was you, but I think your white noise did the trick."

Skye didn't have it in her to say anything, the pull of sleep started to tug at her mind. Her breathing slowed, which in turn caused her heartbeat to slow down. Despite the fact that Skye hated Derek with every fiber of her being, she was starting to  
grateful that he didn't bring what she thought. If he would have brought that… Skye knew she would have been broken. Not to mention she didn't want her team to see her like that.

Skye felt her knees buckle underneath her, the guards released their hold on her knowing she wouldn't be able to do much in this state. She didn't fight to stand and fell onto her hands and knees once again. Wearily, she lifted her head to see the blurry  
sight of her team. Derek was talking, Ward was calling her name and… she wasn't sure what was happening, but there was a lot of movement, maybe they were escaping.

This brought a weak smile to Skye's face. If they could get out of here, they would be okay and Derek would probably leave them alone. The last thing Skye remembered before her vision was clouded by darkness, shouting, gunfire and arms lifting her off  
the ground.

* * *

 **The Next Day**

* * *

"Any sign of them," Coulson asked joining Ward in front of the monitor.

Ward shook his head, a scowl on his face, "No sign of them anywhere sir. There's nothing."

Coulson released an aggravated sigh, if they didn't find out where these people went, they would never get the answers they needed.

"Keep looking," Coulson replied, "I'll take this watch."

Ward didn't look at Coulson, or acknowledge what his boss had said. In all honesty, Ward would rather be here watching the monitor, looking for any and all signs of those men from last night. The men who took Skye. The thought made his anger spike, but  
he took several deep breaths to calm down.

"Has she woken up yet," Ward asked, his focus on the monitor.

Coulson frowned in response, "No. Simmons says that she's under a powerful sleeping drug, but I'm worried. She should be up by now."

"How long has it been," Ward asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"We were attacked around 11," Coulson answered, he checked his watch, "It's almost six in the afternoon. Eighteen hours."

Ward nodded stiffly, "I can watch Skye."

"No, you've been at this monitor all day, go get some rest," Coulson instructed.

Ward opened his mouth to protest, but the look Coulson was giving him made him change his mind. Although aggravated with the order, he did as he was told and back to his bunk. His shoulder was still sore from yesterday, it had been dislocated during the  
fight he had with the man Skye called Derek.

 _Awe, I didn't realize Mary had a boyfriend._

 _Her name is Skye!_

Ward wished he could have killed that man, but unfortunately his time had run out. Besides, they had Skye by the time he faced Derek and she was the most important part. They landed an hour ago near a SHIELD medical facility. Since Skye wasn't waking  
up, Simmons wanted more equipment to be sure she was monitoring all of her vitals.

Coulson reported they were attacked and that a member of their team was down, but that was it. Until he and the others could learn what was going on, no one outside of the Bus would know. After Skye had passed out, Coulson and the others watched as she  
was taken to the helicopter and flown away. Of course they fought off their captors, but by the time they were all free Derek had taken Skye.

They climbed onto the Bus and left. It was luck that they were able to find Skye after she had disappeared with Derek and his lackey's. When May caught to them, they were making a transition from the helicopter to a jet airplane. If they wouldn't have  
stopped, Coulson wasn't sure they would have been able to find Skye. He didn't dwell too much on the thought. Skye was back with them again, but the problem was those men and Derek were gone.

Coulson thought that they would have chased after them, but instead they simply disappeared. Even though Ward had left a tracker on their jet the signal was constantly scrambled. However if there were any changes, they needed to be reported immediately  
because it might be a clue as to where they are headed. May thinks it is a waste of time, Coulson was starting to agree with her. Currently May was watching Skye, this gave Simmons and Fitz a chance to rest for a little while.

Coulson had watched Skye earlier in the day. When he saw her, she looked as if she were a coma patient. The way she laid in the bed lifeless, her breathing so slow that he would have to check the monitors to make sure she was alive. Coulson's mind was  
spinning with a million unanswered questions, all surrounding the young woman downstairs.

Who exactly were those people? What did they want with Skye? Who did they work for?

"Sir," Simmons called, "Agent Coulson!"

Coulson pulled from his thoughts looked to his right and replied, "I'm over here, what is it Simmons?"

Simmons smiled at Coulson breathlessly, "It's Skye, she's awake."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Okay so this chapter is more of a filler chapter, at least in my opinion. Originally I was going to show how the team rescued Skye and have Skye do some... explaining. However I decided to cut those parts and put them in their own chapter. SO, next chapter expect some fighting, the Cavalry and (spoiler) something else from Skye's past makes an appearance, a flower perhaps? ;)**

 **Review Response:**

 **Roxycall18: Thank you and there will be more Skyeward in the future.**

 **carebear02: The wait is over.**

 **Tamara: Update.**

 **Brenda: No spoilers, but I will say May learns the truth before the others do.**

 **Harmony731: Awe, thank you so much.**

 **Loriel831: Here's your update.**

 **Summary:** **Skye has a secret, one that no one else can ever know. As a child, people wanted to exploit her genius. As a teen, they took advantage of her mind. For two years, Skye had been free but, when she gets on Shield's radar, she has to tread carefully or else they might learn her secret and history will repeat itself.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing, story idea goes to Annajadekin.**

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

Skye could only stare at the syringe in fear. She wanted to move, to fight, to speak, to do anything, but rand still as a statue while Derek approached her. He moved over to her, taking his time, taunting her with an evil grin making chills race up and  
down her spine. Mistreating and abusing others always brought pleasure to the man. In Skye's mind, he was a monster rather than a man.

It took a second for her to register that he was pressing the liquid into her arm, her elbow. At first her elbow was only in pain, that quickly changed after the count of five. When Skye felt the fire, she didn't bother to hold back a scream as she squirmed  
in the guard's grip. The real pain wouldn't come until it spread throughout her entire body. As if she were being burned alive, the air being forced out of her lungs every time she took a breath.

The perfect torture serum to ever be created, where it made the victim feel all kinds of pain. Depending on how much was given would determine what effect it would have. Skye's knew her doses held a lot, even in the small syringe. Black dots swarmed her  
vision as the ground came under her. She could barely hear the sounds of someone screaming her name, the name she chose.

Skye cried out on the concrete floor, the burning sensation she felt made her wish she lived in the arctic. Made her wish that she was drowning in the crisp cold waters. Screaming, Skye could barely hear the sound of someone screaming. It took her a moment  
to realize that one screaming was her. Her skin felt alight, as if a million little flames were brushing upon her. The pressure continued to build in her lungs, it didn't take much time for her not to be able to breathe. As if the air would not go  
into her lungs.

After the darkness came a flood images, each one rushed across Skye's memory, blurring together making it hard to tell what was from what. However, she wasn't focused on the pictures. It was the sound that held her attention.

 _It's going to be okay Daisy._

 _Mom! Dad! Where are you?_

 _I'm alone._

 _You will do it right or you will be punished!_

 _Stop, please it hurts._

 _Scream all you want Mary, nobody can you hear you._

 _You're a monster!_

 _I can't do this on my own._

 _I promise you Skye, it's going to be okay._

 _Somebody help me!_

* * *

Skye snapped her eyes open, her body numb with aching pain and weighed down. Above her were bright lights, they sent a pulse of throbbing pain through her skull. Rapid beeping was the next thing she became aware of. The beeps moved in time with her heartbeat,  
a heart monitor. A testing room? Derek had gotten her, Wade had taken her and trapped the team. Where was she now? A new facility? An old one? Would Derek come for her? Had the Boss already seen her? Skye couldn't breathe, her chest felt tight and  
the air would not go into her lungs.

"She's awake." Skye heard someone speak.

It must be one of the scientists. How long had she been out? What had they done to her? Was Derek nearby? Skye squirmed and realized instantly that she wasn't restrained. No leather straps or metal cuffs holding her down, she had a chance to get out of  
here. Skye forced her eyes to stay open despite the bright light, she rolled off the table ignoring the voices around her.

Who was talking to her? Was anyone here? Was she hallucinating? Skye fell to the floor, her knees and hands slammed into the cold ground first, pain shot through her lower body on impact. Unable to get her feet under her, her legs and most of her body  
felt tingly, it was as if it were only just starting to awaken.

"Skye… us… hurt… calm…"

Skye could make out every other word coming from whichever scientist was nearby, however she didn't care. No, she had no time to listen and wait. This was her chance to run, to get away. Skye looked up weakly, her vision was incredibly blurred and she  
couldn't get her eyes to focus on the people before her. However she could tell they were two women.

The woman on the left moved closer to Skye, fear took control of her body and forced herself upward. Pain shot through her legs and back at the sudden action, but she ignored it turning and running away. In a matter of two seconds, Skye felt toned arms  
wrap around her midsection along with the feeling of someone pressed against her. Skye's heart began to beat faster, the rapid beepings were proof enough of that.

"Get off me," Skye cried, her voice hoarse and desperate, "No! Let go!"

Skye continued to squirm, she moved her arm enough so she could bend her arm and drive her elbow into whoever was holding. A silent gasp filled Skye's ears, but still whoever was holding her was not going to let her go. Why hadn't she been sedated yet?  
Why hadn't Derek come in already to stop her?

"Skye you need to calm down," said a woman, May, "We aren't going to hurt you."

Skye stopped struggling, her eyes began to focus and she recognized the room as the lab on the Bus. Straight ahead she could see the glass door that lead to cargo hold, the red corvette and SHIELD car.

"May," Skye panted.

No, it couldn't be May. Derek caught her, this must be one of his tricks to let her guard down. Drugging her enough to make her believe that she was hearing SHIELD. Skye was certain that if she turned around she would see May and someone else with her.  
However they wouldn't be real, they would be illusions. For all Skye knew, these were two scientists in Derek's lab pretending to be her teammates and the drug would make them appear so.

"Yes, Skye it's us," May said against Skye's ear.

They wouldn't call her "Skye" since to them, her name was Mary. Regardless of what Skye said, they always called her Mary.

 _Skye. That's what I'm going to call myself._

Skye shook her head slowly, "How do I know this isn't a trick? Derek has pulled this stunt on me before, he could damn well do it again."

"How can we prove it to you," another voice said, Skye recognized it as Simmons.

"What's our safe word," Skye blurted out.

Simmons paused for a moment before saying, "Manscaping."

There was a beat of silence before Skye relaxed her entire body and released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. A breathless chuckle escaped Skye's lips. Imposters wouldn't know that. The only other thing Skye could think of was a dream or…  
SHIELD had really come for her. The idea of anyone other than Derek coming after her was too surreal that she tried to shake the idea from her mind. Yet, she couldn't get rid of the thought.

Skye did a quick once over around the area, she found nothing to show that it was hallucination or a simulated dream. Too many details to be fake. The beeping on the heart monitor slowed, Skye's breathing evened out a little, but it was shaky. May unwrapped  
her arms around Skye, deeming her calm enough not to try and run away again.

Tentatively, Skye turned around to look at May and Simmons standing there. Simmons studied Skye with concerned brown eyes, her tan skin had turned a ghostly pale and sweat dripped down the sides of her face. There was also a hollow and terrified look  
in her eyes. When Skye was starting to wake up Simmons had expected Skye to be fearful at first. However Skye's reaction had been one of pure terror.

"Sit down Skye," May instructed in a soft tone.

Skye could only stare at May for a long moment, trying to decide whether or not she should listen. Ultimately, Skye decided not to argue with agent, especially since she felt weak, numb, tired and in pain. Her legs were unsteady, arms weighed down, her  
chest tight and her head throbbing. May placed her hand on Skye's elbow, the young woman flinched at the touch, but didn't pull away. Once Skye took a seat on the examination, her shoulders trembled further and her breathing sounded labored. A wave  
of nausea washed over Skye.

"Bucket," Skye choked out, leaning forward.

At lightning speed Skye saw May grab the nearest container and give to the shaken woman. Skye hated throwing up, the feeling in her stomach, the dizziness in her head and the shaking. The shaking and the actual action of vomiting always made Skye shudder.  
A hand gently rubbed her back in a soothing way, a silent gesture to show that she wasn't alone.

Skye couldn't remember the last time someone had been there for her when she was ill. If she wasn't so terrified, she would have felt relieved. Once Skye had finished releasing the contents of her mostly empty stomach, she looked at the agents hesitantly.

"How," Skye strained to ask.

"We went after you," Simmons explained she placed a cool rag on Skye's head, "Once those men left, we tracked you down using the bracelet you were supposed to give Miles. We spoke with him a few hours ago, he and Cassie are safe with some SHIELD agents."

Skye nodded absently, tears streaming down her cheeks. Not only was she away from Derek, but SHIELD had come to her aid. They had gone after her.

"How long was out," Skye decided to ask next.

May answered her, "A little over eighteen hours. We've been monitoring you."

Skye frowned at that, the serum never lasted that long before. If she had been under for eighteen hours, that meant Derek was going to transport her to Off Shore. It was the worst facility because of the testing methods and the experiments they ran there.  
Skye had been there once and she begged for death to come. Despite all of Skye's lows and all the pain she had suffered, that was the one place she wished for death.

A stray tear slipped down Skye's cheek, but she was too tired to care about it or wipe it away. The two women had already seen her panic, already saw her in pain, it didn't matter now that they saw her for how she was. Weak, fragile, broken.

Skye swallowed hard, "Is there anything I should know? Did you take a sample of my blood?"

Simmons and May exchanged a quick glance at each. It only seemed logical to Skye that they would take her blood to see what Derek had put in her system. Of course she wouldn't blame them if they did, but she was dreading having to explain exactly what  
was in there.

Skye's heart fluttered in her chest when she realized her secret might be out. No, it couldn't be out. Derek hadn't said anything hinting as to why they wanted her, only that she was wanted. However what about their second encounter? Had Derek told them  
anything? Was her cover blown?

"We did," Simmons said a little hesitant, "We needed to see what they put in your system."

Skye said shakily, "A hella amount of drugs, chemicals and sleeping stimuli."

Simmons nodded slowly, a hint of a smile on her face, "Yes, that's one way of putting it. I'm going to do a quick check up on, is that alright?"

Skye nodded, but said nothing in reply. May stood in her spot, watching as Simmons checked Skye over to see how she was feeling, if anything was sore and asking some other questions. Even though May didn't show it, she was uncomfortable seeing Skye like  
this. It had been obvious to May that she was hiding something, but exactly deep of a secret was she trying to keep. It made May wonder what demons lurked around Skye and what skeletons were in her closet.

Skye took a glance at May, the woman watching her with same blank face and dark eyes. May softened her gaze when she looked into Skye's glossy and red rimmed brown eyes. It was obvious the young woman was in a lot of emotional and some physical pain.  
Strangely, the sight reminded May of a time she would rather forget. Simmons check up was over quickly, once the scientist was done she instructed Skye to lay down while she went upstairs to get her some water and soup.

Skye didn't say anything, instead she laid down on the table and stared at the ceiling. Her stomach felted twisted, her entire body ached and she labored to breathe. In fact, the only noise filling the silence other than her heart monitor was the sound  
of her breathing. May on the other hand was completely silent. The young woman was vaguely aware of May watching her, but Skye didn't care.

"You know we are going to have to talk about what happened," May said after a moment of silence.

Skye nodded wordlessly. May walked over to the table, she looked down at Skye with a soft expression. It was the softest look Skye had ever seen on the usually stoic face of May. Either May pitied her or she understood what Skye was going through.

"I understand Skye," May went on, an underlining of sorrow in her tone.

Skye frowned in response, "You do? How? You don't know anything about me or what I've been through like I know nothing of you."

"That is true," May acknowledged, "However, I do know that whatever Derek has put you through, has left you scarred."

Skye couldn't bring herself to say anything to that, she opted to stay silent.

"If you're up for it, I might tell you how I know," May went on, "For now, keep your secrets. I won't pressure you to tell, but I can't say the same for the others."

Skye didn't reply right away, instead she stared up at May. Although Skye knew next to nothing about May, she knew from Coulson that she had a terrible experience that left her scarred. That something so terrible had happened to her, that she lost herself.  
Skye had been a child when they came for her. She had lost herself before she could even find out who she was.

"I'll show you my scars if you show me yours," Skye whispered.

The corners of May's mouth twitched, but no smile followed. A minute passed before Coulson burst into the lab. May lifted her gaze from Skye to look at her longtime friend. There were dark circles under his eyes, he hadn't been able to sleep during Skye's  
absence and had either worked tirelessly looking for the men who took her or watching over her.

Skye turned her head to see Coulson looking at her. The sight of Skye worried Coulson, she looked like she had a terrible illness, but he still smiled at her. At least she was awake.

"Hey Skye," Coulson said softly as he walked over to her.

Skye gave him a weak smile in return.

* * *

"I am not happy Derek," the Boss said darkly, "Not happy at all."

Derek lowered his gaze, not able to look into the black eyes of his employer. When Derek returned without Mary, his punishment had been less than pleasant and pained Derek to the point where he almost wished for death. His beating had been a mix of psychological  
and physical. It hurt his mind and body in more ways than he could count.

The Boss was not a man to be let down, he was not someone people wanted to upset, especially in the case of his… prodigy. Despite the fact that Mary had been missing from the program for two years, she was still considered the Boss's top choice and somewhat  
favorite to do what needed to be done. When the Boss learned that Mary was alive and that she could be brought back, he expected her to arrive.

The Boss turned away from the two young men, the only two remaining of the squad that had been sent to retrieve his pet. Considering they all failed, they were all terminated. The only reason Derek and Jonathan were still alive was because they were in  
charge of the project. Finding a replacement would be a waste a time, so the Boss decided to give them a second chance. Only this time, should they fail, it would be over.

"We know she is with SHIELD and she will probably be kept hidden away for now," the Boss said.

Jonathan spoke cautiously, "What did you have in mind to find her?"

The Boss released a sigh, "Finding her is the easy part, getting her is will be difficult as well as keeping her. We cannot go after her now. If we are to get her back, we must wait for them to have their guard down just enough so we can grab her and  
make sure she stays, _permanently_."

"Understood," Jonathan said, his head low.

The Boss looked over his shoulder at the two men, "If you do not succeed, it is your life on the line."

Neither Derek nor Jonathan replied. Instead, they both nodded their heads to show they understood. They would find Mary and bring her back, there was no doubt about it. Especially since failure was not an option.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This took much longer than expected, but I have a good excuse. First, Junior year is a bitch (excuse my language). I thought people were exaggerating when they said it was the hardest year, but nope. It sucks. Then, to make it better I got a "concussion" and needed to stay away from technology. SOO my laptop was away and I could not update any of my stories which is why they are all so late. *Sigh***

 **BUT I am back, for the most part. I need to post this note on all my stories, but updates are going to be slower because school is important. When I find time to write, I write, but whether or not things get posted is the issue. I'll do my best to post every two or three weeks, but nothing really sooner. Anyway, hope you enjoy and stick around.**

 **Summary:** **Skye has a secret, one that no one else can ever know. As a child, people wanted to exploit her genius. As a teen, they took advantage of her mind. For two years, Skye had been free but, when she gets on Shield's radar, she has to tread carefully or else they might learn her secret and history will repeat itself.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Chapter Nine

Coulson slammed his hand in the wooden wall in his office, anger and rage burning inside him. Coulson knew what it felt like to be helpless, it was a feeling he despised more than anything else in the world. Watching a teammate, the youngest of the group  
and at times who seemed the most like a child, was in pain. Although he couldn't hear exactly what Derek and Skye were saying, he had a pretty good idea of what was going on.

It wasn't until Skye collapsed, unconscious, that Coulson and the others fought with everything they had. They needed to get to Skye, now before it was too late. It had been pure luck that Skye still had the hackers bracelet, allowing them track her down.  
Otherwise, Coulson feared they would have lost her forever. May studied her friend, her brow creased ever so slightly to show her concern.

Coulson wasn't usually one to show his emotions, sure it wasn't too hard to tell what he was feeling however it definitely wasn't easy. He had control over his emotions. Whenever he reacted suddenly, it caused May to worry that something was incredibly  
wrong.

"Coulson," May said in a calm voice, "We'll find Skye."

Coulson didn't look at May, "What if we don't? What if we're too late?"

May replied, her tone never changing, "Then we'll start from scratch and continue to look for her until we're told otherwise."

This time, Coulson turned to look at May. Skye was important to him in a way he hadn't realized until he saw Derek and his men take her away, possibly forever. It had always been hard for Coulson to keep his job professional. He constantly made bonds  
with people which turned to attachments and lead to him caring for them and wanting to protect them with everything he had. Skye was no different.

In many aspects, Coulson saw her and Fitzsimmons as his children, Ward was more of a nephew or friend's child and May was his partner. When he found Skye, he could tell she put up a good front. One that looked passive, nonchalant, a little naive and unconcerned.  
It was in her eyes that he knew it was an act. Being an Agent, Coulson had seems lot of dark things that were burned into his memory. The most haunting memories he had weren't the ones covered in blood, weren't the ones running for his life.

They were always of someone's eyes.

The eyes of May when she first looked at him after Bahrain. The look in Fury's eye when he nearly died after Loki stabbed him. The eyes of Hill when she almost missed the cable on a mission in Moscow. The eyes of the little boy who was caught in the crossfire  
of a gun fight. Skye's brown eyes were haunted, scarred, there was an untold fear and terror in her eyes that Coulson hadn't been able to place before. Whatever had happened to her, was something carved deep inside her.

Coulson nodded his head at May, but offered no verbal reply.

Ward's voice filled the silence over the comm. "They're up ahead, stopped on the cliff edge."

"Don't lose sight of them, let's move out," May said and quickly left Coulson's office, Coulson not far behind.

Ward had stayed in the cockpit while May had gone to check on Coulson leaving the specialist to focus on tracking Skye's every move when they suddenly stopped on the radar. This would give them an opportunity to grab Skye and get out of there before things  
got to heated. Ward set the Bus down in it's spot away from what he assumed would be Derek and his men.

The helicopter from before had just landed on the edge of the cliff next to raven black Gulfstream G550 jet plane. The specialist raced out of the cockpit to the cargo hold where he met May and Coulson. Originally, May wasn't going to join the fight and  
had planned to be their getaway pilot, however something changed her mind. If Ward hadn't known better, he would have thought May was doing it for Skye. It was a possibility, but how likely was the question.

Ward didn't care though, as long as they got Skye back, he would be okay. The plan was easy enough to follow, sneak up on them, find Skye, grab her and go. There wasn't time for anything else. The Bus was a ways away from the helicopter and jet which  
worked to their advantage, they wouldn't be seen until it was too late. Without delay, Ward, May and Coulson made their way over to the cliff in Lola.

The darkness of the night and the fact that it was a new moon meant the only light for them to see would be from the air transportation. Luckily, the Bus's light had all been turned off when they landed. Coulson stopped the car behind a large rock that  
would cover them and keep their getaway car hidden. The three agents climbed out of the vehicle.

"Agent Ward," Coulson said, "You and May will take out anyone in our way while I go after Skye. Do it quickly and quietly."

Ward and May nodded in understanding, cross off the enemy without delay and be discreet. This would be easy for May and Ward considering they were trained to do assignments such as this. Ward briefly studied the area. There were four armed guards posted  
next to the stairs of the jet plane while two were standing next to the helicopter. He would go to the helicopter, he could take out the two guards within fifteen seconds.

Sending May to take out the weaker threat would have been an insult. Derek stepped out of the helicopter first, it took every bit of control Ward had not to break out into a run and attack him for what he did to Skye. May was about to say something, but  
stopped when she spotted Skye. A man who they hadn't seen before wearing blue jeans and a grey-shirt stepped out of the helicopter, Skye unconscious in his arms.

"Skye," Coulson whispered.

Ward and May stared at Skye limp in the unknown man's arms. The sight sent a pang of worry and fear through Coulson. All Ward could feel in that moment was angry, if anything happened to Skye he would never forgive himself for not doing enough to help  
her.

"Let's bring her home," Coulson said after a beat of silence, his eyes focused on the unconscious girl.

May and Ward left wordlessly to handle the few 'guards' who were around. Ward moved quickly through the darkness, none of the guards were able to spot him which sent off a warning siren in his mind. Either he was better at sneaking around than he thought  
or these guards knew he was there and simply weren't doing anything about it. Whether or not that was a good thing or a bad thing was yet to be seen.

By the time he made it to the helicopter, avoiding the headlights and the guards view, Skye had disappeared inside the plane with the man carrying her. Ward moved under the helicopter on his hands and knees, behind the guards. He pulled out the ICER Fitz  
had modified for him and fired. The guards fell to the ground with thuds. Quickly, he pulled the unconscious guards under the helicopter and jumped up, firing at whoever was in the helicopter. A pilot and three more guards.

This worried Ward, hadn't there been at least a dozen guards that went to the helicopter. Some were unaccounted for, they must have already been on the jet. Ward turned around to find May fighting off the four guards. Two lunged for her, but she dodged  
their wild attacks with little effort. Even though May wanted to avoid combat, she couldn't deny the fact that she did miss fighting.

Fighting was as easy as breathing for May, all she needed to do was let her body do the work while her mind simply watched. When one guard tried to attack, she would use their momentum against them. The first guard tried to attack her from behind, she  
blinked and bent forward as she pulled the guard over her shoulder, effectively flipping him onto the ground. The man gasped in pain and surprise.

May liked to think she had sixth sense when it came to fighting. She knew the guard behind her was about to swing, at the last second she lowered herself onto the dusty floor. In one swift motion, she swung her leg around knocking the second and third  
guards to the ground, momentarily stunning them. This gave her a chance to deal with the fourth guard who had thought to bring out his own gun. Using a basic technique, she took the gun out of his hand. It would have been easy for her to fire, but  
something from her past forced her not to pull the trigger.

 _Big brown eyes stared at her. There was something dark and sinister in them, but Melinda could see the confusion and pain in them as well. The darkness surrounded the pain in the girl's eyes. She didn't know, she couldn't know._

May forced the thoughts from her mind. She settled for hitting his temple with the butt of the gun. She briefly saw Coulson move past her before returning her focus on the remaining two guards.

Coulson entered the jet plane, the inside was open without any seats inside. Only windows lined up on both sides and a door which would lead to the other half of the plane. Coulson raised his ICER and went through the door where he spotted Skye lying  
on a bed and the unknown man wearing a grey t-shirt looking down her.

"Get away from her," Coulson ordered, his eyes burning with fury.

The grey shirted man looked at Coulson, his eyes reminded Coulson of a cloudy day.

"You're SHIELD right," the man asked, a brown eyebrow raised.

Coulson answered, "Yes and if you want to get out of here, I suggest you back away from her."

The man smiled, flashing his white teeth, "She's not your concern Mr Coulson."

Coulson was ready with a reply, but the slight cold pressure he felt on the back of his head stopped him. A gun was pressed against him, one wrong move and he would no doubt die where he stood.

"He's right you know," the cynical voice said, "Mary is not one of your own and belongs to us. Lower your gun."

Coulson did as Derek said even though he wished he hadn't. Without warning and in the blink of an eye, the grey shirted man had punched Coulson in the stomach causing him to hunch over. He felt something strong hit his back, a foot maybe. The next thing  
Coulson knew, he was lying on the ground at the two men's feet.

When he heard the sound of a gunshot, he thought he was done for, but when he didn't feel any different he realized the bullet hadn't touched him. The grey shirted man had fallen to the ground, his face scrunched in pain. Coulson couldn't help but smirk  
at the expression.

"Awe," Derek taunted with a twisted grin, "I didn't realize Mary had a boyfriend. How sweet is that?"

Ward felt his anger spike, "Her name is Skye!"

Although Ward had always been an aggressive fighter, he was usually very good at remaining calm and controlled during a fight. Tonight was an exception. Coulson moved, he didn't bother to check and see if the grey shirted man was dead or alive, that didn't  
matter. Ward could deal with Derek while he went to Skye.

"Skye," he said slightly breathless.

She was lying on the little bed motionless, her right cheek had dried blood and Coulson saw a small daisy behind her ear. He paid no attention to that though, instead he focused on her skin which was paling and her breathing. It was shallow and faint.  
He pressed a hand on her head, she was warm to the touch, a growing fever.

"Don't worry Skye," Coulson said as he brought his arms under her knees and back, "We got you. I got you."

It was odd in Ward's mind. All it took were a few words about Skye and suddenly, he had little to no control over his emotions. Without thinking, Ward swung at Derek who dodged the attack at the last second, stepping away. Ward didn't back down though,  
he continued to swing, punch and kick at Derek. It was obvious to Ward that Derek was a skilled fighter, but Ward could tell he only knew military combat.

Ward was decent at military fighting styles, but he was better at martial arts, specifically Karate. He had taken a few lessons as a kid and before becoming a specialist, he trained in several martial arts classes to build his strength. The corners of  
Ward's mouth twitched upwards once he found a weakness in Derek's defenses and evasive moves. The man would always step with his left foot first, this ultimately gave Ward the opening he needed.

In a swift motion, Ward kicked his right leg sharply, effectively hitting Derek's left knee. Ward could see Coulson rush past him, but his focus was on Derek. His balanced wavered, Ward wasted no time in striking his other knee causing Derek to fall to  
the ground. Using as much strength as he could, Ward slammed his fist into Derek's jaw. The force of the punch was enough to knock Derek on the ground. Anger coursed through Ward's veins and he kicked Derek, hard, in the stomach causing the man to  
gasp in pain and surprise.

When Coulson exited the plane, he found May standing in her spot with at least ten bodies lying around. May almost looked relieved when she saw Coulson, but she kept a straight face. However she didn't hide the concern in her eyes when she looked down  
at Skye in Coulson's arms.

"She's alive, but I don't know what they did to her," Coulson said worriedly.

May replied, "Simmons will figure it out. Where's Ward?"

"Inside," Coulson answered simply, "You get him."

May nodded and went inside. May climbed the steps quickly, she spotted Ward several feet away kicking Derek against the wall.

"Agent Ward," May called to him.

Ward stopped his attacking, he looked over his shoulder at May with a dark look in his eyes. The look actually made shivers run up May's spine, she would speak with him about his emotions later on, but for now they needed to go.

"Leave him," May said sharply, "It's time to go."

"Skye," Ward asked, his eyes drawn back to Derek.

"Coulson has her, now let's go," May said in the same sharp tone.

Ward seriously considered not listening to May and continuing his attack on Derek, but he decided against this. It was time to go. Ward glared at Derek, but did not attack. Without a word, he spun on his heel and went over to May, leaving the man to lay  
crumbled on the ground. May and Ward rushed out of the plane, past the unconscious guards and to the rock that Coulson had hidden Lola behind. Coulson was already in the car ready to go, Skye laying in the backseat.

* * *

 **Present Day**

* * *

Skye would have sat up to look at Coulson, but truth be told she was too tired to do anything other than lie there on the examination table. Two years since she last faced any of the stuff she used to deal with everyday. It was strange, something that  
was all too familiar yet foreign to her at the same time. None of that mattered now though, she knew Derek and his team wouldn't strike again for at least a month. That gave her a month to disappear without a trace.

"I'll leave you two," May said, she glanced at Skye before walking past Coulson and out of the lab.

Coulson walked over to Skye, "How are you feeling?"

Skye barely shrugged, "Not terrible."

"That's a good sign," Coulson commented with a simple smile.

Skye nodded, but didn't say anything else in reply. Dread washed over her, she knew Coulson and the others would ask her some questions she didn't want to answer. Would he ask her anything now? Did he know her secret? Did any of them know why Derek was  
after her? Skye hoped not, she wasn't ready to tell the truth. Too many years surrounded by lies caused her to fear the truth.

Coulson spoke and Skye knew it was the beginning of a long conversation she wasn't prepared for.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: *Two weeks passed* I really need to write. *Gets writer's block* Shit. And that is the story of why this is late. I procrastinated, then got writer's block so I ended up re-writing this chapter ten times. (Not exaggerating). Anyway, thank you for your patience.**

 **Review Response:**

 **carebear02: Sorry this wasn't sooner.**

 **agentcarter45: Thank you and I hope I can start updating more.**

 **Brenda: She will tell them eventually.**

 **sapphire2994: I'm glad you love it. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **Alright guys, it's time to get on with the show.**

 **Summary:** **Skye has a secret, one that no one else can ever know. As a child, people wanted to exploit her genius. As a teen, they took advantage of her mind. For two years, Skye had been free but, when she gets on Shield's radar, she has to tread carefully or else they might learn her secret and history will repeat itself.**

* * *

Chapter Ten

"I know there's a story behind all of this, but it can wait."

Those hadn't been the words Skye was expecting to hear come from Coulson, especially when she could practically see the questions in his clear eyes. Skye didn't say anything in response, she was quite frankly at a loss for words. The two entered a somewhat  
comfortable silence, each observing the other. Despite being awake, her appearance for the day before wasn't much better today.

Skye's skin was still sickly pale while her cheeks were flushed pink. If anything, she looked as if she should be in a hospital right now instead of on this plane. However Coulson's gut told him this needed to be kept in house. That whatever was going  
on had to stay hidden until they knew what they were up against. Besides, Coulson was confident that Fitzsimmons would be able to figure out how to help Skye get better.

Coulson had been given a brief rundown of her condition before coming in here and he was surprised. According to Simmons, the amount of _medication_ in her system should have been enough to either keep her asleep for weeks or months or kill her  
altogether. Simmons planned to do more tests on her after the drugs cleared her system, but she wasn't sure how long that would take.

It had just occurred to the scientist that they didn't have any of Skye's medically history or done any tests on her. Simons had questions, Ward had them, Fitz, May and Coulson. There were so many questions Coulson wanted to ask her, but May's words stopped  
him from doing so.

 _She's in a lot of pain right now Phil. For the time being, we just need to let her rest and recover from this. Don't push her._

Even though he wanted to know the truth, looking down at Skye caused him to realize that May was right. She needed to rest. Skye was frantically trying to come up with a cover story. Even though she had different stories for different scenarios, this  
one in particular was the one that constantly changed. The story she made would depend on what the others knew and she would fill in the holes from there. Right now she didn't know what they knew, if anything or nothing at all.

"You must have questions," Skye said, one eyebrow slightly raised.

Coulson gave her a small smile, "That is true, but now isn't the time. Just focus on getting better…. we were really worried about you."

"Afraid I'd give up your secrets," Skye asked with a small grin.

Coulson shook his head, "Not at all…. I don't think you realize how scared we all were for you. You seemed so terrified when they came."

Coulson paused to study her reaction. There was a haunted look in her usually bright eyes that just seemed out of place on her. Skye always seemed so much like a child to him, someone who was filled with hope, dreams and belief, wonder. Looking at her  
now, he wasn't sure whether or not it was act or if he was looking at a broken child.

"What did they do to you Skye," Coulson asked sadly.

Skye was surprised to hear the emotion in his voice, or see the concern in his eyes. Over the years, Skye had become a master at reading people and learning their intentions through the smallest movement. Right now, she couldn't tell if his intention  
was to get her to talk about her past in order to get answers or if he really wanted to know.

Skye swallowed, "It doesn't matter… It was a long time ago."

"It does matter," Coulson said sharply, "You were hurt. One of our own was- is hurt."

"But I'm not really one of your own," Skye pointed out.

"But you are," Coulson said, his voice insistent.

"Why," Skye asked, her heart starting to race, "I'm just some girl you picked up because I hacked into one of your headquarters. I'm here so you can keep an eye on me and make sure I don't go in other places."

"No true," Coulson said, surprised to hear Skye say these things.

Skye scoffed, "Either that or I'm your charity case. I know your type Coulson, you want to save everyone. You do it because no one else will."

"Perhaps, but I tend to think that every person in this world is worth something," argued Coulson, "You matter to us Skye. You matter me to me."

Skye looked away from Coulson, he was telling the truth and it broke her heart. She was alone in this life, she would always be alone because whenever she had someone who cared about her and who she cared for, she lost them. She blamed SHIELD for taking  
her family. She blamed Wade for the loss of her life and only friend.

"You should change that," Skye said, still not looking at Coulson, "Everyone who gets too comfortable with ends up hurt or dead."

"It's risk we're willing to take," Coulson replied simply.

Although he wanted to say more, he decided he should leave her alone for now. Skye released a breath when she heard the sound of Coulson's retreating footsteps, he had left her alone and for that she was grateful. Did the team really care about her that  
much? Did Coulson? It was hard for Skye to think about all the people she had loved and lost and she had tried so hard not to anyone else to that list.

Her parents, Max, Brenda, Darien. Was she going to add five more people to this list? Skye closed her eyes and for a brief moment, she let all those she loved come back to her. Replaying their last words to her before she lost them.

 _I love you Daisy, always._

 _I'll never forget you, okay, I promise._

 _Run, get out of here, run!_

 _Don't let go._

Skye opened her eyes, she could feel the tears forming her eyes, threatening to spill down the sides of her face. The tears from facing her nightmares. The tears from the memories of people who loved her. The tears for everything she lost. Tears for the  
little girl who no longer exists. Skye took a large breath of air, swallowing all her tears and sobs as best she could.

She wouldn't cry now, she needed to focus. Lying alone in the lab, Skye worked through everything in her mind not only trying to perfect her next course of action, but to distract from the shadows that lurked around her.

* * *

When Skye was declared stable two days later, she was moved back into her bunk, but restricted to doing anything strenuous. Currently the young woman knew she was well enough to do any task at that moment, but decided not to share that information with  
the others.

Coulson hadn't tried to get any answers out of her yet, Fitzsimmons only asked her about her condition, Ward hadn't been able to say more than a few words to her which she found odd and May… Surprisingly, May had been the one to provide Skye with the  
most comfort. It wasn't through gentle words or reassuring touches. It was through the silence and company of someone else there who understood.

Skye was sitting in her bunk staring out the window, the Bus hadn't stopped flying since yesterday afternoon. It was time for another mission which Skye was eager for. Having to spend so much time alone, working through all the scenarios and lies she  
had to tell was starting to get her. All she did was try to focus on her plans, but unwelcome memories of her past seemed hover over her mind.

Skye glanced at her closed bunk door, she needed to talk to Coulson now while she still had a mostly solid story in mind. He didn't want to push her, but she had a feeling that if she went to him now, hesitant and a little teary eyed, she was certain  
he wouldn't question whether or not it was true. Skye closed her laptop and left the bunk.

She wasn't surprised to find Ward sitting in the lounging area, a book in his hand. It was probably something his SO wanted him to read, but she figured asking him wouldn't do any harm. Ward hadn't said much to her, she had teased saying he was disappointed  
with her return, since she always got on his nerves.

"Hey," she said as she approached him.

Ward lifted his gaze to look at Skye. She definitely looked better than she had a few days ago. Her skin was full of color once again, that same golden brown tone that he was attracted to. Not to mention her eyes were bright once again and her smile had  
returned. If Ward wouldn't have been there, he never would have guessed she had been kidnapped and somewhat tortured. It was odd to see her bounce back this quickly. Either she was stronger than he gave her credit for or this wasn't the first time  
she had been in a situation like this.

"Hey," Ward said setting the book down, "You're looking much better."

Skye nodded with a half smile, "I feel better to… You know I uh, never got the chance to thank you. For coming for me."

"It was no problem, I'm just glad we got there in time," Ward told her truthfully, "I told you we'd kick Derek's ass."

Skye half smile grew to a full one at that, "Thank you for that to."

"He's not going to hurt you again Skye," Ward said seriously, he stood from his seat, "I don't need to know the details of what he's done to you, it's not my business. However I can promise you, that he won't lay another finger on you."

Skye was grateful for the words, but deep down she knew that wasn't a possibility. Derek would catch her, like her always did. And if it wasn't Derek, there was only one other person who would be able to trap her and he was someone she didn't like to  
think about. Skye was convinced Derek let Ward beat him up to give them a false sense of security and confidence. However a large part of Skye hoped Ward was able to take him down.

"Thank you, again," Skye said with a nervous smile.

"Anytime Rookie," Ward said with a genuine smile.

Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around Skye, engulfing her in a hug. The first time he had hugged her all that time ago in the cargo hold, she had been tense and unsure of what to do until she broke down. Except now she didn't hesitate, or need  
his comfort desperately like she did that night. Instead, she returned his hug because it was easy and it wasn't because she overwhelmed. No. This was something different and she liked it a lot.

* * *

"This has always been my favorite picture," he said, looking at the small photo.

He held delicately between his thumb and index finger, as he stared at the small image of a family in a backyard together. The father stood on the left of the ramp, while his wife on the right. Both of them were smiling happily, but their eyes were focused  
on the two children lying on the unfinished ramp that would leaded to the playhouse their father was trying to build for them.

A little girl in a yellow dress was lying there close to her mother, her eyes were closed, but her mouth was wide open to show she was laughing. Beside her, was a young boy near the age of ten lying on a ramp dressed in a t-shirt and jeans like his father  
beside him. His hair was dark, nearly the shade of black and cut off at his ears and his skin was golden tan, the kind of tone people hope to get after a day at the beach.

However what was most striking about the boy was his eyes, a piercing color of grey that often reminded others of silver clouds. It was quite the contrast against his tan face. The young man looked at the one referred to as the Boss with a dark smile.  
If everyone was afraid of the Boss, then everyone was utterly terrified of the young man with the storm cloud eyes. Most of the time, Boss left him to his own devices, but after the occurrences of a few shorts days ago, the young man demanded a meeting.  
Boss wasn't afraid of the young man because he was the only one who had the tools he required.

"You see, this picture was taken a month before I came here," the young man said, his voice getting lower, "Which is why it's my favorite. It shows exactly what I lost, when I lost it. _You_ my friend are running out of time."

"I wasn't the one who lost her," the Boss replied flatly.

The older man froze for a moment, not out of fear or worry or anything like that, but because he had to. The young man glared daggers at Boss. It took all of his strength not to use his ability to the max, but that didn't mean he couldn't have a little  
fun. Boss couldn't move any part of his body, no matter how much he tried to will himself to get some motion. This was one of the thousands of reason why the young man was feared. After a few seconds, the young man released his hold on Boss.

"Perhaps that is true, but even though you sit on that chair believing you have power, you forget who gave it to you," the young man hissed darkly.

Boss glared, "I had power before I met you."

"A shame how most of it has transferred to me in the last two years," the young man replied with a sinister smile.

The Boss couldn't reply because he knew it was true. It was only a matter of time before this young man took control of his operations. However he didn't want control over this place, in fact he wanted it to burn to the ground and nothing of it to remain.  
All he wanted was to get some of the life back that he lost all those years ago. His parents were still missing, hidden away and out of his reach and the life of someone he loved was threatened by a dark shadow called death.

"The only reason why I have stayed and helped you is because the process has started and if it doesn't finish, then your best project will die. Neither of us want that," the young man went on.

"You've done the math," Boss pointed out, "How much time is left before the side effects come in?"

The young man glanced at his watch, "The side effects should have started at least three months after her disappearance, but those weren't fatal. In exactly two weeks, the more serious side effects will come in which means her chance of survival goes  
down."

Boss inhaled sharply at this new information, but said nothing in response.

"This is why I need to go after her alone to give her the injection," the young said frustrated, "Derek had his chance, now it's my turn." "

But you have no intention of bringing her back here to be studied," the Boss pointed out darkly.

The young man shrugged, "I don't care about your work, I only care about her living. Either way I'm going to find her, right now it just depends on whether or not you know what's going on."

"Since you're so insistent, get the injection from Jonathan and go," Boss replied reluctantly, "And Darien, nothing too flashy."

The young man rolled his eyes, but he stretched his lips to show his teeth, "If you insist."

The young man, Darien, walked out of the office with a twisted smile and a plan already in mind. When Darien stopped outside the Boss's office, he looked down at the picture once again with a look of nostalgia. It was near the middle of July when the  
picture was taken. He remembered it had been a "lazy" day has his mother had called it, where they all would hang out together doing little things.

His father had decided it would be a good idea to finish building the playground and Darien had been thrilled to help out. He only got to play on it a handful of times, each time with his sister. She always did love to play hide and seek. Darien stared  
at the image for a long time, the pain in his chest growing with every passing second.

 _Eight… Nine… Ten. Ready or not, here I come!_


	11. Chapter 11

**Alright, so this took me longer to write than I wanted, but better late than never. Anyway, this chapter is more of a filler chapter in my opinion, but it does have something important that will be brought up later. There is also the introduction of one of my favorite characters who will play a very important role later on and has a connection to our hacker.**

 **Thank you all for your patience and sticking with this story. Get ready, some heavy action is coming next chapter!**

 **Review Response:**

 **Lilomaus223: I'm glad you love this story!**

 **sapphire2994: Thank you for the review. To answer your question, Skye is in danger from a... dark cloud you could say. No spoilers ;)**

 **agentcarter45: Here is your update and I'm happy you enjoyed it!**

 **Brenda: Thank you :)**

 **Summary:Skye has a secret, one that no one else can ever know. As a child, people wanted to exploit her genius. As a teen, they took advantage of her mind. For two years, Skye had been free but, when she gets on Shield's radar, she has to tread carefully or else they might learn her secret and history will repeat itself.**

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven**

It had been a week and a few days after Wade when Coulson decided to approach Skye about the incident, to question her about what happened. He agreed not to push her, per May's and Simmons request, until she was healed from the endeavor. Simmons had been  
/surprised to find that Skye had recovered much faster than anticipated, not to mention how quickly the drugs had left her system and it concerned the young scientist. Though the tests she had done showed that Skye was alright, she couldn't help,  
but

/feeling as if something _should_ be wrong with the hacker. Coulson had been able to put her mind at rest, even though he was worried to.

Skye acted the same as before, in all honesty it was near impossible to tell anything bad had happened to her. She was still the same distant, yet open with the others despite it all. This had sent off a warning in Coulson's mind. Either she was able  
/to bounce back quickly or this wasn't the first time. Coulson knew which was the more likely cause, which is why he needed to talk to her about what happened and get as much information as he could.

Personal feelings needed to be put aside for now, both his and hers. Wade posed a threat to SHIELD and others around them and now it was time to learn who they were, what they were after and what they were capable of. Right now, Skye was the only connection  
/to this organization that he had never heard of before. Eleven days was enough time for her to reflect on what happened and recover from the experience. Now it was time to get down to business.

Coulson had spoken to May about it briefly, but all she had told him was one thing.

 _I recommend sticking to basic questions and letting her fill in what she wants to. At least for now. Eventually we'll have to learn details, but for now, stick with facts._

Coulson found Skye sitting in one of the SHIELD cars, typing away on her laptop at record worthy speed. She was always on her computer, she told the others it was because she was doing research on old projects or hacking to keep her skills up. No one  
/really questioned her too much on it, so long as she didn't hack SHIELD. Hacking the Hub the other day had been pushing it.

She didn't look away from her computer as she spoke, "What's up A.C.?"

Coulson smiled at the name, "Not much. Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," she replied, still typing.

Coulson climbed into the back seat, closing the door after him. He knew beforehand that she lived in a car and actually preferred being in one. In her own words, it made her feel more at peace and focused than anywhere else. After the past three missions,  
/she had come into this very car to escape from the craziness going on around her. It had been a busy couple of days.

"I know I said I wouldn't ask about what happened," Coulson started with caution, "But I've given you time. We need to know who those guys were and what they were after if we intend to be ready for them should they show up again. You called them Wade,  
/but I have never heard of that name before in my life. If we are to have any chance of fighting this enemy, then you have to tell us what you know about them and your connection. Right now, you are the only connection."

Skye's typing faded out, her fingers slowed until she stopped typing all together. Of course she knew he was going to ask her sooner or later, but she had hoped to leave before he would have the chance to ask. Yet every time she had a chance to leave,  
/something made her stay. The Battleship game with Ward, watching Gilmore Girls with Simmons, trying to use the Holotable without Fitz knowing. Skye knew why she stayed and cursed herself repeatedly for allowing it to continue.

Skye forced herself to keep a straight face and stay as calm as humanly possible despite the panic she felt pulse through her. Should she tell him everything she knew about them? Should she pretend not to know enough of use? Giving them too much information  
/would give them the idea that she wasn't just a simple homeless hacker or wayward girl.

None of them could know about her past, her _real_ past. None of them could know who she was or what she had done. Skye decided it would be better to go with the story she had made up. She just hoped it would be convincing enough to fool a top agent,  
/trained to detect lies and falsehoods. Luckily those were her specialty. Taking a shallow breath, she shut her laptop and turned to look at Coulson. His crystal eyes were gentle, as they always were.

"I'll tell you whatever you want to know," Skye replied, the lie tasted bitter on her tongue.

Despite this not being her first time lying, for some reason the feeling of guilt swelled in her chest. She pushed the feeling aside, keeping her gaze on Coulson.

The agent gave her a smile in response, "Alright, I just have a couple of questions for you."

"I can imagine," Skye replied casually, hoping to hide the panic she felt.

If Coulson learned the truth, there was no telling what he and the others would do. The only one who she could possibly tell was May because she knew the agent wouldn't tell. Even with how close she was to Coulson, Skye knew that May wouldn't tell anyone.  
/Broken souls are bonded the moment they find another soul like theirs.

"Where do I start," Skye decided to ask next, hoping to only answer his questions and not have to tell a story.

Even though she had one planned, she feared it wouldn't cover all the basis. Besides, there was no telling what any of the agents had learned while she was unconscious during their rescue. No telling what Derek had told them.

She shivered at the thought.

"How about the beginning," Coulson answered simply, "How do you know them?"

After three seconds of pure silence, Skye had her story set in mind and before she knew it, the words came off her tongue.

"I was an orphan, as you know I got really into hacking when I was teenager," Skye explained, her voice hoarse, "I was obsessed with finding and exploiting secrets that I got carried away until I got involved with something way bigger than I was ready  
/for. I stole some files, went through their work. What I learned reminded me of Hydra, from little knowledge I had of that place it- it just seemed dark. They do experiments, a lot of research that is illegal."

"Did they experiment on you," Coulson asked her, his voice soft as a feather.

Skye swallowed, forcing herself not to let the memories overwhelm her.

"Not exactly. Uh… it was more of- I actually don't really know. I mainly spent my time locked in a cell," Skye said, her gaze focused on her lap, "They took me from a foster home the night after I had hacked them. Took me to some remote location, interrogated  
/me and all but beat me to death. The only reason why they didn't kill me was because Derek had been… impressed. He thought it was impressive that I had been able to hack into their organization from a computer on wifi."

 _I'm impressed with you Mary Sue. Your IQ is *whistles* quite high for someone your age._

Skye took a shaky breath, "I was basically a kid with nothing, no real name or anything to hold onto. It didn't matter when I went missing. It mattered even less when everything about me disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

"Yeah, all gone. The name I was given was Mary before I changed it to Skye. It didn't matter that I changed it because Mary no longer existed."

Skye kept her head down, taking a chance with this part of the story. There were no files on Mary Sue Poots anymore, which allowed for her to make the story more believable. She could account for the holes in her story, she had gone off the radar before  
/she changed her name. Every file on Mary Sue Poots no longer existed, which is why she could make up any story she wanted and Coulson wouldn't be able to find anything on her.

When she couldn't have been but eight or nine years old, Wade had come for her and took her away from everything she had ever known. She was a child genius who had been wiped off the face of the earth. However, to Coulson and the others, she went missing  
/as a teen. There would be a number of holes, but she hoped and prayed that it would make it more believable. After all, honest stories always have details missing. Knowing every detail was a sign of a liar trying not to get caught.

"You became their hacker," Coulson questioned, but he posed it as a statement.

Skye let a smile grow on her face, "Yeah. I found out information on their enemies and did a good amount of research for them. If I tried to fight back, if I ever said no… the consequences weren't pleasant and left a number of scars."

It wasn't a complete lie, but the words tasted bitter on her tongue. Lying had come easy to Skye for so many years that she never really had to think out it. Yet here she was, lying to a man she hardly knew and she felt guilty for lying to him. Instantly  
/she pushed the feeling aside. The only way she was going to survive was going to be through lying and getting out of here before Derek returned. So far she had covered her name, the stuff in her system with Simmons and how she had come in contact  
/with Wade however what she hadn't explained was what did they want with her.

She just hoped her story would get past him. The best lies always held a little truth in them, she could only hope he wouldn't learn of her lies until she was already gone.

"I'm sorry," Coulson said gently, "How did you get away from them before?"

Skye answered hesitantly, "When one of their watch dogs didn't lock my cell door correctly, I made a break for it and hacked my way out their facility two years ago. Sixteen when they took me, nineteen when I escaped. I'd been running ever since."

Oh Skye wished she had only spent three years with them instead of the eleven years she had in her memory. All the cries of a frightened child filled her mind.

 _Please let me go!_

 _It hurts, please stop._

 _Somebody help me!_

 _I promise, I'll be good._

"I'm sorry you had go through that," Coulson said again, unsure of what else he could say.

Skye shrugged it off, she didn't want his pity, "It wasn't your fault. Anything else I can tell you about them?"

"The people, like Derek," Coulson asked and he saw the flicker of anger and fear in her brown eyes.

"He was my… I guess you could say supervisor," Skye explained, "They had only three types of staff there. The scientists, the guards who I labeled watched dogs and then were the _caretakers_. The scientists only stopped by my cell every other month,  
/the guards were always around, reminding us to stay in our place."

"Us," Coulson questioned. Skye released a sigh, "Yeah. There were others there. Human lab rats. I never spoke to them, I only saw them in passing."

"Do you know what they were doing to them," Coulson asked, "What did they want?"

Skye clicked her tongue, "I only have bits and pieces. It was a very need to know and know as little as possible. Most of the time they told me to hack this satellite. Half the time I never saw what I hacked, once the hack was done it immediately transferred  
/from my screen to Boss. He was the head guy there. It had been his idea to give all of us down there white noise."

"So the white noise caused the nosebleed," Coulson acknowledged, "Do you have any idea where they're stationed?"

"I failed geography, but I know it wasn't in the US," Skye responded.

"Skye," Coulson started hesitantly, "What else have they done to you?"

"It doesn't matter," Skye said a little too quickly.

Skye looked into Coulson's eyes, she could practically see the unasked questions in his eyes. The agent placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, this took Skye by surprise which didn't happen often. Out of habit, she flinched at the touch. Even though she  
/knew Coulson wasn't going to hurt her, it was almost second nature for her to flinch when someone lifted a hand to her or touched her when she wasn't expecting it.

Skye stared into Coulson's blue eyes, searching them to see what his intentions were and was concerned when she saw no ill-will to her. He lowered his hand with a small frown.

"Thank you for answering those questions," Coulson told her, "You won't like this, but I'm going to need you to give us anymore information you have. If we intend to fight-"

"Why do you want to fight them," Skye asked, her brow furrowed, "I get it, SHIELD is an agency who deals with threats, but these guys are not to be messed with."

"We cannot let them run free," Coulson stated sharply.

Skye frowned, "I really don't think that's a good idea."

It was Coulson's turn to frown, "We need the information you have if we want a chance to take them down. The experimenting alone is enough and to add with them interfering with-"

" _Coulson_ ," Skye interrupted with a pained expression, "Please, don't."

Coulson stared into her eyes for a few moments, the fear and concern in her eyes was so strong Coulson felt his eyes water. Or perhaps it was from the fact he hadn't blinked while looking at her. There was so much fear in those usually cheerful brown  
/eyes.

What happened to her? How much was she not telling him?

"We'll talk about it later," Coulson said.

Skye could only stare at Coulson and she watched him as he left her alone. Skye released a heavy sigh. If SHIELD crossed paths with Wade, it would not end well for them. Getting involved with her was never a good idea.

 _You leave a trail of bodies wherever you go. Don't forget that._

* * *

 **Location: Darwin, Australia.**

The mission had been a success, not that the agent dubbed Mockingbird was surprised that it had gone so well. Even though the mission had a twenty percent chance of success and her partner had remained pessimistic about the entire thing, everything worked  
/out. The assignment had been for Mockingbird to get inside a facility and locate some stolen files. At least, that was what she had told her partner the mission was. However the reality of the mission was not something she had been able to share  
with

/anyone except for her husband. Her partner had left an hour ago with the supposedly stolen files.

When they arrived to SHIELD HQ, the files would be placed with an old friend who intended to put them through the paper shredder. She would get him more equipment for his birthday. Mockingbird walked inside the apartment and dropped the blue duffel bag  
/on the wood floor with a gentle thud. Mockingbird, more commonly known among her friends as Bobbi, was a tall woman. She has been one of SHIELD's top agents for the past few years, ever since she graduated from the Academy she had been practically  
/a gifted agent.

It had been through SHIELD that she had not only met her husband, but also someone whom she considered to be a sister. Unfortunately, her sister has been missing for awhile, but she intends to bring her home. One way or another.

"Welcome home love," she heard an accented voice call.

A grin grew on her face as she walked into the kitchen, down the hall on the right side. Sitting at the bar was Lance Hunter, a former mercenary and her husband as of four years. He was a shorter man with light chestnut brown hair, military cut on the  
/sides while the top was thicker. Although Bobbi would never admit it, she loved his hair like that. In was the beard he was growing out that would sometimes get on her nerves if he tried to make it longer than his hair and he has tried, but never  
/succeeded.

Lance, or Hunter as he preferred to be called, glanced over to see his wife walk in. His forest green eyes lit up with a childlike spark and a killer grin, he was relieved to see that she was okay and very happy to have her back home.

"You look beautiful," Hunter complimented, in the same British accent Bobbi loved.

Bobbi rolled her eyes, "I look like a mess."

"A hot mess," Hunter pointed out.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere," Bobbi replied still grinning.

Hunter pouted, "Not even to bed?"

Bobbi took a seat beside her husband who instantly pressed his lips on hers. Their kisses tended to range from soft and endearing to passionate and electric in a matter of seconds. Not that either of them ever complained about it.

More often than not, thetwo of them fought for dominance over the other which lead to a number of heated kisses and nights.

But tonight, neither Mockingbird nor Barbara "Bobbi" Morse-Hunter could get carried away, even though she desperately wanted to.

"Not tonight," Bobbi whispered when she broke the kiss.

Hunter frowned at his wife, but pulled away. He could tell she was worn out by the way her shoulders slumped her eyelids drooped. Despite the reassurances that she wasn't tired over the phone, Hunter knew she was exhausted.

"You should get some sleep love," Hunter said, resting his hand on her cheek.

Bobbie closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. His hand was warm on her cold face, having him touch her or even close to her was enough to make all her worries wash away. Other times, he was the source of her worries, but majority of the time he helped  
/to ease her anxiety. Nothing would make her happier than to go to bed with him right this second, but there was still something she had to do.

"Not yet," Bobbi said opening her eyes.

Hunter would have protested, but the determined look in his wife's eyes meant anything he said would not be heard. He figured it would be better to help her instead of fight her when she had that look. This way she could finish faster and he would be  
/able to keep an eye on her, which he preferred to do.

"Did you find what you needed," Hunter asked.

Bobbi nodded slowly, "Yes."

Bobbi reached into her jacket pocket, a bit shakily Hunter noted. She pulled out of the leather jacket, his leather jacket, a silver flash drive. At first glance, Hunter wouldn't think much of it, however the way his wife held it and the look in her eyes  
/told him it was very serious.

"What is it," Hunter asked, "aside from being a silver flash drive."

Bobbi gave him a sad smile, "This has everything on her. It also has the last report of her."

Hunter's eyes widened knowing who Bobbi is talking about, "Wait, are you sure? It's really her?"

"It is," Bobbi said.

"But wasn't the last report two years ago, before she ran away," Hunter questioned curiously.

"It does include that," Bobbi explained, looking into Hunter's eyes she continued, "But there's another one. They found her, then lost her again."

Hunter nodded, "Do you know where she is now?"

"SHIELD," Bobbi answered, "She's with SHIELD."

"Well that's right up your avenue," Hunter said with a slight smirk.

Bobbi frowned, she looked at the flash drive, "Yeah it is. Lance, she's so close."

Hunter noticed Bobbi's frown, he placed his hand on top of hers, "It's going to be okay. You'll be keeping your promise now."

"Yeah, I will," Bobbi agreed, "I just hope I'm not too late."

"Hey," Hunter started causing Bobbi to look up at him, "When do we leave to go get her?"

Bobbi offered Hunter a weak smile, "Soon. Once I learn where they've taken her, then we leave."

Hunter replied, "Alright then. For now let's get some sleep and tomorrow, the scavenger hunt begins."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: *whistles* It's been a minute, well a lot longer than a minute, but yeah. Anyway, so this chapter was originally really, really, long so I had to divide it up and will post the next part tomorrow. Figure instead of sending it all at once, let's make it a treat to have two chapters within 24 hrs of each other. Though to be honest I'm doing that so I can make more edits to the second half. Anyway, hope you all enjoy.**

 **Quick note: The flashbacks don't have a line separating them from present time because it's supposed be sudden change.**

 **Review Response:**

 **Clem: Thank you. I'm glad the story captured your eyes.**

 **Brenda: There is reunion between Skye and Bobbi.**

 **Lilomaus223: You'll have to read to find out.**

 **harlequin320: I like your ideas on their connection, though none were exactly right. The fellow captive however is _very_ close. **

**agentcarter45: Thank you!**

 **Summary:** **Skye has a secret, one that no one else can ever know. As a child, people wanted to exploit her genius. As a teen, they took advantage of her mind. For two years, Skye had been free but, when she gets on Shield's radar, she has to tread carefully or else they might learn her secret and history will repeat itself.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except for the typos...**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Familiar Faces**

" _Do you understand?"_

 _The thirteen year old girl didn't so much as glance at the scientist. Of course she understood, she always understood. No matter what it was, she knew what to do and how to do it. Before she came here the adults would praise her for her brilliant mind. At first she believed them when they told her that this was a gift. Now she only saw it as a burden, a curse that forced her into dark places._

 _"I understand," she whispered, her eyes focused on the holotable before her._

 _The scientist, an old man, nodded, "Start when you see the exercise."_

 _The girl took a deep breath, her brown eyes narrowing as she waited for the exercise to begin. After seven seconds, the first problem arose._ _ **7,153,135X6.83.**_ _0.03 seconds passed before she gave an answer._

 _"Forty eight million eight hundred fifty seven thousand one hundred forty one point one," she said._

 _ **18,852/4,262.**_ " _Four point four two three two seven five four si-"_

"Skye!"

Skye jumped in her spot, her heart rate accelerating much faster than she liked.

"What the hell," she gasped to see Fitzsimmons giving her strange looks.

Simmons answered, "Fitz called your name at least ten times and you wouldn't respond."

"Yeah," Fitz nodded, "Everything alright? You were really deep in thought."

Skye looked at the holotable again, the sequence of numbers filling her mind. That explained the unexpected flashback. Ever since the incident with Wade, which was five weeks, two days and eight hours ago, Skye continued to find herself more in tune with the memories of _their_ training.

Now whenever she saw a problem involving math or science, she would solve it immediately. Whenever a question was asked, it took every bit of her self-control not to answer it. Even training was starting get harder for her. Trying to force her body not to do the moves she knew by heart, to keep up the appearance of a high school dropout and hacker. The only thing to distract her from it all was the missions.

"I was just thinking about this case," Skye lied simply, "I mean this is insane."

"As insane as the Berserker staff," Fitz said with a raised eyebrow.

Simmons added, "Or the Chitari virus? What about the ghost with Hanna?"

"That wasn't a ghost," Fitz argued.

"Yes he was," Simmons replied hotly, "The man was dead, but his astral being, or soul, was still present in this world. Then we looked into another universe-"

"Which goes against the-"

"we're in new waters Fitz, there's no telling wh-"

"and that is exactly what has me worried-"

Skye couldn't help but to grin at the two scientists going back and forth with each other. Once Skye had been cleared for missions again, the team had been filled to the brim with them. Simmons found a cure to an alien disease after having been infected by another carrier. It had been a miracle that Simmons was able to find a cure in time with the help of Fitz.

Skye knew if she would have helped them, she could have saved Simmons and Fitz the trouble of scraping by to find an antidote. Not to mention could have prevented Simmons near death from the virus and jumping out of the air borne plane. The guilt about that was still surrounding her, no matter how much she tried to make excuses for herself. It had been out of fear that she didn't say anything, to afraid of what Coulson and SHIELD in general would do when he learned why Wade came after her.

Shortly after that incident, the SHIELD team had been called to Norway to deal with some paganists group who wanted to become like gods on this world. Skye wasn't usually surprised, but when she realized that these people planned to create an Asgardian relic, the Berserker staff, she had been stunned. During her years with Wade, she had dealt with a lot of studies on the known other worlders, Asgard had been one of the more focused ones.

The Berserker staff filled the holder with unrestricted anger, bringing up their most painful memories to give them the enhanced strength and speed. Both specialists ended up getting a hold of the staff, each having to face the demons of their past. While Ward had mostly been over the edge and angry at every turn, May was controlled. The young woman hadn't been that shocked to see May handle the Berserker staff that well, especially considering the files she had dug up on Bahrain.

Ever since her rescue, Skye and May had developed a closer relationship. Instead of straight to the point conversations, the two spoke to each other the way a mentor would to their mentee and vice versa. Skye had gained a newfound respect for the senior agent, however it left Skye even more curious about what had happened to May in the past. May had briefly explained why she had been in control when she held all three pieces, it sparked Skye's need to know, but she hadn't found out anything and she wasn't going to search.

If May wanted to tell her, then she would.

There had also been their trip to the Hub. Skye had already been there twice before, once when the SHIELD agents brought her here and the second time had been when she was fourteen. That second trip had been more exciting than the first, especially no one had seen her throughout her entire visit. This third time had proved to be an interesting endeavor. The mission Ward and Fitz went on left the team anxious for awhile. Especially when Skye learned that there wasn't an extraction plan for the two of them.

Initially, she hadn't planned on saying anything about it. However the last few times she kept her mouth closed, Simmons almost died, Ward and May were forced to face their worst demons. Skye knew she had to do something this time and right now, she was grateful she did. The only problem was the Internet bracelet that a senior Agent, Victoria Hand, had tried to order Coulson to give her.

She claimed that Skye was too much a risk, having her on board and allowed to roam free was not something they should let slide. Skye resented that, but decided not to argue at the time. Surprisingly enough, May had stood up for her. May said she trusted Skye and the young woman didn't know whether that was a good thing or not. The conversation after still echoed in her mind.

 _Why do you trust me?_

 _I know you're hiding something, something much darker than you want any of us to know. I don't trust someone without knowing they have a dark side._

May had walked away after that.

"-unbelievable all the things we've done," Simmons said pulling Skye from her musings.

Skye nodded, "I have to agree with that," she paused, "Any idea where we're headed?"

Fitz answered, "Back to the Hub. We're going have debrief over all the missions. Hope you finished those reports."

Skye did finish them, but she let her eyes widen in surprise, "Crap. I better start doing that."

Fitzsimmons smiled at her. While Simmons was more encouraging, Fitz was a bit more amused and favored one side of his face.

Skye sighed, "I'll see you guys later."

"Bye Skye," they said together.

Skye grinned at them before walking out of the lab into the cargo hold. As she walked, her thoughts came back to the case they were working on now. This new case was on a mission to find Mike Peterson, now called Deathlok. Skye had done a lot of digging when she found the Deathlok file. It almost vanished from her computer, but luckily she had an encryption that copied the files onto her jump drive before it could be lost.

Moments like that made Skye grateful for picking up hacking as a hobby. Skye stopped at the top of the stairs to look down at cargo hold where she had training with Ward, luckily she didn't have any today. Though he knew what he was talking about in terms of fighting, he wasn't very good with teaching someone of a different fighting style. He focused on strength and sturdy ground. Skye worked better with being light on her feet and moving around her opponent.

Brenda used to say she could dance circles around anyone. It had been one of the nicest things Skye had heard from anyone. Skye walked to her bunk, she needed to get laptop and do some more searching on Deathlok to see if she could find where Mike was. She hoped he was doing okay, but the half man and machine she saw in the file was not the Mike she remembered meeting all that time ago.

 _Lightning cracked across the sky, the light lasted a little longer than the time it would take the average person to blink. The young teen stared up at the sky, her brown eyes wide with interest and terror. Although she knew the possibilities of getting struck by lightning were astronomically slim, she still held the fear for it._

 _The loud thunder clap didn't help to ease her fear either. The rain poured down hard yet she barely noticed the feeling of water soaking her thin t-shirt and jeans. Her brown hair appeared black as it stuck to the sides of her face._

 _"Hey, what are you doing out here," a black man said, a woman at his side._

 _The woman with skin a few shades lighter than the man spoke next, "You shouldn't be out here. The storm is only going to get worse."_

 _The girl stared at them, her entire body began to shake with fear, but she told herself it was from the rain. Were they Wade? Had those monsters found her already? The man and woman must have seen the terror on her face._

 _"It's okay sweetheart," the woman said in a soft voice, "We aren't going to hurt you."_

 _"No, we just want to help," the man said to her._

 _The teen took a fearful step away. Would they attack her? Were they going to grab her and go? Her eyes darted around the dark area. Judging by the height and build of the man, he was decent in strength and had a long stride. Out running him would be difficult. The woman would most likely attack her, she would be quick and light on her feet._

 _"My name is Mike Peterson," introduced the man, "This is my wife Layla. Where are your parents? I'm sure they must be worried about you waiting in the rain."_

 _Two words caught the girl off guard, worried and parents. The scientists would be worried because they lost they her and Boss hated to lose what "belonged" to him. No one would be worried about her, not in the way she knew the man and woman meant. Then there was the word parents, something she had a long time ago, but couldn't remember. It was one of the only things she couldn't remember._

 _Did she have parents? No. Maybe once she did. The girl thought for a moment, what was the meaning of the word? Of course she knew the word, but it escaped her as she stared at them._

 _"Parents," the teen said hesitantly, "I-I-I… No. I don't."_

 _"A guardian," the woman asked, "Who do you live with?"_

 _"No one," the girl answered. "No one I'm al-"_

"Skye," Coulson said for the fourth time before the young woman woke from her trance.

For days, weeks really, it seemed Skye had become more and more distant and distracted. At first there hadn't been any change with her after the incident. That was until Coulson found Skye huddled in the corner of cargo hold with May trying to calm her down. He still wasn't sure why he had gotten up that morning, but he decided to take a walk around the BUS.

When he entered the cargo hold from above the lab he spotted Skye with her hands over her ears and knees to her chest. May was kneeling close to her. Coulson had made a move to go down the stairs and run over to her, but when May noticed him she shook her head. Even though Coulson wanted to go over to her anyway, he decided it would be better not to.

The next day Skye acted like nothing was wrong. Ever since then Skye had been acting different. Not to mention the next time Coulson woke up in the middle of the night, he found Skye in a similar state in her bunk. This time he calmed her down. He wondered how many more attacks like those she had without any of them knowing. He hoped she didn't have them often.

"Yes," Skye asked, blinking a few times as if trying to refocus on the world before her.

Coulson took note of the hoarseness of her voice. Not to mention how her eyes were glossy, as if tears were building and could not fall.

"Are you okay," Coulson decided to ask, "You seem upset."

Skye didn't respond right away. Instead, she only stared into his eyes and Coulson wondered if she could see into his soul. Those brown eyes were a fading light.

"I was thinking about Mi- Deathlok," Skye amended sadly, "Mike was a good guy and what they've done to him… I just-just can't believe that they did that to him."

Skye had read through report and file she could find on Deathlok, Mike. He was now more machine than he was man. The short clips she had found of him had shows him as a monster. A man who killed without a second thought, most likely because they were forcing him to do it. Skye recognized the technology that had been used for his body. She knew he most likely had one of her eye cameras.

When she had done some work for Cybertek, it all had to deal with putting technology and biology together. Two studies, fields that were completely opposite in almost every way. Mike was like this because of her. He helped her when no one else could and this was how she repaid that debt. _It's all my fault._ Skye swallowed her guilt.

Coulson nodded, his gaze sympathetic, "We're going to continue to do everything in our power to help him."

Skye offered him a small smile, "I know. I just hope we aren't too late."

"You and me both," Coulson said, "We'll go investigate that lead on Centipede once we hand over all the reports at the Hub. Shouldn't take more than an hour or two."

Skye smirked, "I highly doubt it will be that quick."

Coulson returned her smirk with a knowing smile. SHIELD was fast with situation outside their offices while inside, they could be very slow. Skye knew while Coulson, May and Ward went to meet with some higher up agents, Fitzsimmons would be in the lab depositing their data. Skye would give her report to Ward, but wouldn't join the meeting and wasn't a big fan of labs.

"Sorry you can't join us in the meeting," Coulson said.

Skye shook her head, "No worries. I'm sure I can find something to keep me occupied while you all do your spy thing and I won't go digging through intel. Promise."

"Good. Agent Hand still wants to give you that bracelet," Coulson told her.

Skye scoffed, "Still not going to happen. When do we touch down?"

"Twenty minutes," Coulson answered.

Skye nodded. With that she went to her bunk and busied herself online until the plane landed.

* * *

Bobbi was annoyed. It didn't take a genius to know that she was not in a very good mood, especially Hunter who had to face the brunt of it. Tracking down the SHIELD team that had _her_ proved very difficult to follow and keep track with that. Because they were special team they found themselves off the radar majority of the time, not to mention they never followed a flight plan. Unless the plan was to be sporadic in which case they were. Whenever Bobbi had their location, she knew they would be gone by the time she arrived. How was she supposed to get to them when all they did was move away?

Bobbi leaned back in her office chair and sighed.

Hunter frowned at her, "Love it's going to be alright. You know where she is now, the next step is contacting her and there you go. A reunion."

"You make it sound easy," Bobbi groaned, obviously irritated.

Hunter leaned towards her, "I know it's frustrating Bob, but you've waited this long to find her. I guess the universe wants you to wait just a little longer."

Bobbi nodded dejectedly, "Maybe. I'm just tired of waiting.. Stay here, I'm going to go grab us some snacks. Want anything?"

Hunter shook his head, "No thanks love. See you in a bit, hopefully I won't rot in this office."

Bobbi rolled her eyes, "We can only hope."

Before Hunter could come up with a reply, Bobbi was out the black door with a sideways grin on her face. Originally Bobbi had stopped here because she thought that maybe the SHIELD team would arrive today, but so far she hadn't seen the one girl she was looking for. It could also have been possible that _she_ wasn't allowed in the Hub. However the last video footage she found of her was here, in this very building, which ruled out that possibility.

Bobbi released a heavy sigh, the stress and anticipation of this whole thing was really starting to get to her. After all it had been practically a month ago when she first found her location and status, yet she still had yet to make contact. If Bobbi couldn't find her today, she was going to speak to one of her friends in high places to get to the girl who she saw as a little sister. Bobbi turned a corner to head down to the lounge on this floor when she spotted her.

A young woman stood at the end of the hall speaking with an older white man Bobbi recognized as Agent Coulson. Her brown hair came past her shoulders in waves, her skin was fuller than the last time she had seen her and she had a small frown on her face. Most likely she wasn't getting her way in something. Agent Coulson walked away leaving the young woman alone. She turned and was about to walk away, but Bobbi couldn't let that happen.

"Skyler," Bobbi called making the young woman freeze.

The young woman, Skyler, turned around with wide brown eyes, "Brenda?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Just a quick clarification: Bobbi and Skye aren't related, but they view each other as sisters. This is talked about a little bit in this chapter as to why, but won't be completely revealed until later.**

 **Also, funny story. I couldn't remember why I chose the name Brenda and I only now just realized that I have a reviewer who goes by Brenda. *tsk* That took me forever to make the connection. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

 **Review response:**

 **carebear02: It's still going. Glad you loved it.**

 **sapphire2994: Thanks for the review. Having Bobbi and Hunter be Skye's parents hadn't crossed my mind, but that would be a great twist.**

 **Summary: Skye has a secret, one that no one else can ever know. As a child, people wanted to exploit her genius. As a teen, they took advantage of her mind. For two years, Skye had been free but, when she gets on Shield's radar, she has to tread carefully or else they might learn her secret and history will repeat itself.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the grammar errors and typos.**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen: Back Again**

Coulson shot down Skye's idea of her going to one the tech rooms and finding out more information relating to Deathlok and Centipede. However she did understand why he had to say no. Skye watched Coulson go with a frown, she supposed if she was going  
to find Mike she would have to do it while everyone was busy and in a place they wouldn't look for.

Looks like she was going to head back to the main area, there must be something she could do to keep herself occupied for the next few hours. Maybe tear their systems apart in her mind? That wouldn't take her more than ten minutes though. She started  
to walk out of the hall in order to find some form of entertainment when she heard a familiar voice call a name.

"Skyler!"

Skye froze in her spot.

Years ago, when she was around fifteen, Wade had brought her out of their center to bring her to some place in Russia. While in transit a group of operatives dressed in all black invaded the area taking out of all the guards meant to be watching the child  
genius. When her door opened, a tall woman dressed in black leather came inside and took out the remaining guards single handedly. Skye had never seen anyone do something like except Derek. Skye turned around.

"Brenda," Skye said, her brown eyes wide with shock.

The woman who rescued her was here, standing not even ten feet away from her. The woman who took Skye from the hell she called life. One of the few people Skye had ever trusted.

"Y-You're here," Skye choked her.

Brenda smiled at her, "It's been a while. You're one tough girl to find."

Skye stood rooted in her spot. Even though she was incredibly happy to see Brenda again, she was absolutely terrified by what this meant for her secret. Brenda knew the truth about Skye. She knew about everything Wade had ever done to her, about her far  
above average mind and then some. Was her secret already gone? Did Brenda tell the people here about her?

Skye stared into Brenda's eyes. The questions slipped the back of her mind. She could worry about her secret in a minute, for now she really wanted to enjoy this moment.

 _No one would ever come back for you_.

 _Brenda would and she did_.

Skye all but bolted in Brenda's direction before slamming into the older woman. The force of the impact caused Brenda too take a small step back to regain her balance, but she still smiled. Brenda wrapped her arms around Skye's smaller frame. However  
as quickly as the hug had started, Skye pulled away and looked around. The fear in her eyes was apparent which caused Brenda's own worries to rise.

"Do you have a-a place we can go," Skye asked, her eyes still looking around the hall.

Even though the hallway was empty, Skye knew that if SHIELD had eyes on their cameras or recorded them, someone would see this interaction.

Brenda nodded and started to walk, "Yeah, follow me."

"Bren," Skye said coming up to her side, "I'm happy you're here."

"You and me both," Brenda said with a smile, "And before you ask. Barbara, though I prefer Bobbi."

Skye furrowed her brow before realizing what the name was. The first time Skye and Brenda had introduced themselves, Skye hadn't wanted to know the woman's real name or to reveal her own real name. She could have used Mary, but honestly she hated that  
name too much to use it.

 _Well I have friend named Brenda, so I guess you can call me that. What should I call you?_

 _Something with sky in it._

 _Umm, how about Skyler?_

 _I like it._

"Daisy," Skye responded, "Prefered name Skye. And you do kind of look like a Barbara."

"Don't call me Barbara, I can't stand that name," shivered the blonde.

Skye chuckled, "Bobbi it is."

 _Bobbi_ lead Skye down a few hallways until she stopped outside a black office door with the name Mockingbird engraved in silver. That had been an old nickname Skye had come up because of how often Bren-Bobbi liked to tease her.

Skye pointed to that with a smirk, "You put my nickname for you on your office door?"

"If you become a good enough agent, you can get a really cool code name. Hawkeye and Black Widow for instance," Bren- Bobbi explained, "I figured why not? It would remind me why I was here."

Skye raised an eyebrow, "And why are you here?"

Bobbi smiled, "To help people. And to honor the best little sister I could ever ask for."

"Softie," Skye teased grinning.

Even though Skye wanted to brush off the comment, she really couldn't. Bobbi had saved her, protected her months and treated her as though she was more than a tool. That was something Skye had never really experienced. Being the priority for someone else  
because they cared enough to make her the priority, not her skills.

"There is someone inside, but I'm going to get rid of him so we can talk," Bobbi informed the younger woman as they entered the office.

Skye nodded wordlessly and the earlier fear she had about her secret was starting to come back to her.

Bobbi noticed Skye tense as they walked inside, she whispered, "He doesn't know. No one in this building knows except for me."

Skye released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Her secret was safe. Bobbi had kept her promise to find her and her secret was still hidden safely away.

"Is this-" a British accented man started.

Bobbi interrupted him, "Yes Hunter, but you have to leave."

The shorter man, Hunter pouted, but didn't argue, "Alright. I'll be downstairs if you need anything."

Hunter moved over to Bobbi and started whispering something to her. Even though Skye could hear them, she decided to run them out and look around the room. Just from a glance she knew it was 15x20 foot room. The black desk in the right hand corner was  
made from fake wood like the black door. The walls were a pale blue color, lighter than the blue in the sky.

There were two dark grey metal filing cabinets in the left hand corner, pressed against the back wall. Then there were two more closer to Skye on the left. Skye also took notice of the window wall on the right that gave a clear view of the hallway. She  
stared at the glass for a moment, trying to figure out if it was one way. Before she could finish her analyzing, Hunter walked out of the room leaving the two women alone.

"Are there cameras in your office," Skye asked, her hands at her sides.

Bobbi smirked, "There _were_ cameras in my office, but I got them removed yesterday."

Skye released another sigh before initiating the second hug which Bobbi didn't hesitate to return. After Bobbi had successfully rescued Skye, she had been placed in charge of watching her until the threat could be found. At first the mission was meant  
to find a weapon that was being transported. SHIELD had been baffled when they discovered the supposed weapon was a teenage girl. There weren't any records and the girl refused to give her real name or learn the names anyone around her.

Bobbi rested her chin on the trembling woman's head. How long had it been since Skye had anyone to help her? How many years had passed that Bobbi failed to do the one thing she needed to do? Bobbi had been an only child, no older sibling to look up to  
and no younger sibling to guard. Yet when she found Skye, she finally gained someone to protect, someone to guide and care for. Skye's grip tightened around Bobbi's waist. Her walls had only come down completely one time and that had been with Bobbi.  
If anyone would help her, Skye knew it was going to be her.

"I can't believe you're here," Skye mumbled into Bobbi's shoulder, "You kept your promise."

Bobbi smiled, "Did you ever doubt I would?"

Skye shook her head and released her hold on Bobbi, "Not really… I have so many questions."

"I can imagine," Bobbi acknowledged, "Shoot."

Skye took a breath, "What are you doing here? You work for SHIELD right? I mean if you didn't then you probably wouldn't have an office, so ignore that last question. Did you know I was here? How did you find me? Have you always been looking? Who was  
that guy? Well you can tell me who he was later, focus on this other stuff for now."

Bobbi thought for a moment before she answered, "I do work here, I spent years searching for you through various contacts and I've been trying to track you on the SHIELD plane for a month."

"Years and a month," Skye asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Yes," Bobbi nodded with a frown, "But whenever I would close in on your location, you were gone. However it was easier trying to find you in SHIELD instead of the other guys. What are you doing with a SHIELD team anyway?"

"I hacked into one of their head quarters because I needed to get on the inside to find out that redacted document, both of them really," Skye responded, her brow creased.

"Do they kn-" Bobbi started to ask.

"No," Skye said abruptly, "They know about Wade, but not about me and I want to keep it that way."

"Oh Skye," Bobbi admonished.

Skye groaned, "Don't patronize me about it. I don't want them to know. They'll end up using me just like Wade."

"SHIELD isn't Wade," Bobbi pointed out.

"Yeah right," Skye sneered, "Next you'll tell me that SHIELD isn't filled with Hydra agents."

Bobbi's eyes widened at her words. Whether from surprise because Skye knew or surprise because she hadn't known was beyond Skye.

"Don't tell me you didn't know," Skye said with a disappointed face.

Bobbi composed her shocked face, "I knew that there was something hidden SHIELD from what Agent Hill told me, but _Hydra_. Did Wade tell you that?"

Skye shook her head no, "I figured it out by mistake a year ago. While looking through Agent Sitwell's encrypted contacts, I found Hydra activity."

"Agent Sitwell is Hydra," Bobbi said incredulously, "He's one of our top agents... Who else?"

"A bunch of people actually, it's pretty deep," Skye said.

Bobbi ran her fingers through her blonde hair still stunned by this revelation. Hydra had been dead for decades. SHIELD had been founded right after the fall of Hydra, but it looks like Hydra had merely embedded themselves into the organization. Was SHIELD  
even real or was the entire organization a ploy?

Skye felt guilt stir in her stomach for telling Bobbi about that. At first she never intended to share this information or do anything, but now perhaps something could be done about it. If Skye would have told anyone else they wouldn't have listened to  
her, but Bobbi would and she would do anything about it.

"I can send you all the stuff I found," Skye offered with a guilty look.

Bobbi nodded swallowing her sorrow, "Please do… Oh God this is awful."

Skye slipped her hands into her jean pockets, "It is pretty bad, sorry."

"Not your fault," Bobbi said truthfully, "I'm glad you told me though. Is that why you don't want to say anything about your genius?"

Skye swallowed, "I mean it is part of the reason. Ward, my S.O., is a Hydra agent as well even though I don't think he believes in the cause. The other reason is whenever someone finds out… they only want to use me. Everyone. Well except you."

Bobbi put a comforting hand on Skye's shoulder, "I did some research into the team you're with. You can trust them with this secret, except your S.O. If Hydra knew-"

"Yeah, don't need to tell me what would happen," Skye acknowledged with a nod, "I think I could trust them to keep it. Fitzsimmons would have a field day."

"The science twins," Bobbi questioned with a raised brow.

Skye nodded, "Oh yeah. They would probably pester me to do stuff in the lab with them. There's also May and Coulson. I would trust them with this too, I'm just…"

"Afraid of what they'll say," Bobbi suggested, a knowing look on her face.

Skye nodded sadly. Suddenly her shoes became more interesting than Bobbi's face. Sometimes she thought her fear of telling her secret was silly, but she always remembered her time as Wade as warning not to let anyone know about her. She didn't know why  
she was different, nor did she really care. Because of her difference, people only ever wanted use her.

Skye didn't want to be used anymore. She was tired of it.

Bobbi pulled Skye into her arms again, "I know you're scared about the response, but if you told them the truth about what's happened to you, I think they'd understand."

Skye sighed, "Maybe… When Wade took weeks ago Coulson and his team came for me. They rescued me like you had."

"That's a good sign," Bobbi told her.

Skye nodded somberly, "There's something else…"

Bobbi released Skye to look at her, "What is it?"

"Remember when I got really sick with you," asked Skye, "The nausea and headaches specifically."

Bobbi nodded, "I remember. Are they happening again?"

It was Skye's turn to nod, "Yes, the headaches are here majority of the time and I know it's because of Failsafe."

Bobbi stepped away from Skye and moved to the filing cabinets in the back corner. Bobbi had broken into a Wade facility because Skye had gotten deathly sick. Her appearance those few days reminded Bobbi of what person looked like after they had abused  
a substance. In a way that was what had happened to Skye.

They constantly injected her with this enhancer. It was meant to strengthen her body focusing on areas like the nervous and immune system. However her body was used to getting it every other week that when it never came while she was with Bobbi she went  
through withdrawal.

 _I don't have anymore of the drug,_ Skye had wheezed, _It's their failsafe._

 _Don't worry, I'll find the stuff for you. You'll be okay._

Bobbi found several little cylinders of turquoise liquid, each one labeled 3245,7233. With her partner, Bobbi had taken twelve of them before it was time to leave and get out of there. It had helped Skye to get better, but Bobbi knew the long term effects  
wouldn't be good for her. If Skye didn't have enough of, her immune system would be the first thing to shut down.

Bobbi unlocked the second drawer of the filing cabinet with her fingerprint, eye scan and key code.

"I still have them," Bobbi told her as she reached inside, "I have seven left. Will that be enough?"

Bobbi held them out to Skye who flinched at the sight of them. Even though she hated everything that Wade had ever given to her, she knew that she would need this stuff in order to survive.

"When was your last injection," Bobbi asked worriedly.

"Almost two years," Skye answered with a grimace, "Why it's taking effect now is most likely due to the fact that they had been getting me off it it bit by bit. Anyway, I can use one on the side to break it down and find substitutes in order to reconstruct  
it."

Skye took the test tubes, the felling of them in her hands making shivers crawl all over her skin.

"We could go down to one of the labs now," Bobbi suggested, "I can get people to leave so we can work."

Skye shook her head, "That would bring attention to us. I'll find a way to do it on the Bus. Besides I can worry about this later, for now I want to hear about everything you've done in the last few years. Including about that guy."

Bobbi didn't like the subject change, but she could tell Skye really didn't want to talk about this anymore, "That guy is my husband, Lance Hunter," Bobbi answered her a bit sheepish.

"You're married," Skye shrieked in surprise, "Mockingbird found a husband. That must be a pretty good story."

"It's a long one," Bobbi warned her playfully.

Skye grinned, "And I've got all the time in the world. Well around three hours."

Bobbi laughed, "Alright, take a seat Tianchuang."

"Yes ma'am," Skye said with a mock salute.

* * *

Coulson and May had just finished their meeting with Agent Hand and were headed to gather the rest of their team. Ward had gone to speak with his former SO, John Garrett, before they left to go back to the Bus and work some more on the Deathlok case.  
Though they hadn't gotten too far in the investigation Coulson was optimistic that they would find Deathlok and Centipede.

"You get Fitzsimmons while I get Skye," Coulson said to May, he realized he sounded like a parent getting ready to grab his children.

May nodded, "Meet you in the hangar."

With that, May went in the direction of the labs where they both knew Fitzsimmons would be. There was no place they would rather go to than a lab filled with state of the art equipment. Coulson grinned at how happy the two scientists probably were being  
in the lab all this time. Now all he had to do was figure out where Skye had run off to. Since she didn't have agent clearance there were a limited number of areas she could actually go, but he knew she had a habit of going to places she shouldn't.

Coulson spent the next few minutes wandering around in search of Skye when he spotted a large group crowded around an obstacle course. The obstacle courses weren't as intense as the ones at the Academy, but they allowed the field agents here to keep their  
skills sharp. Not seeing the harm, Coulson walked over to see what would draw a large crowd before he would return to his search.

He joined the group at the railings. The course itself was on the floor below them with glass walls, but the view from above was meant more for higher ranked agents to evaluate from up top. He looked down to see someone he hadn't expected to see standing  
on the right side of the course, Skye.

The course stretched the length of the hallway and the width of at least seven offices on both sides. Skye was almost done with the course. She had two more obstacles to get through. The first was the spinning gates. Around twelve eight foot tall panels  
were placed in a circle and would spin at different times. It was the agent's job to get through the gates without getting hit. If they were hit, a bell would go off each time the gate touched them.

Skye ran in and what Coulson saw amazed him. Skye maneuvered her way through the gates without a problem and the bell never went off. Not one of those gates touched her. How had she managed that? Did Ward teach her how to do that?

"That girl is amazing," shouted one agent.

"No kidding, did you see how well she made it through the rope set," another agent said.

Coulson would have listened to them, but his focus was on Skye. She stood on a ledge watching as the acrobatic swings moved back and forth. When the closest came within reach, she jumped and just barely caught on. She let the swing carry back once and  
using her own momentum, propelled herself forward to grab the other one. She grabbed the last one, that moved with her, and hung there for a moment obviously tired.

"Do you think she can make it," a younger agent asked his friend.

"I don't know man," replied the second agents, "She just barely caught on the other bar."

A third agent intervened, "She'll make it. Did you see the way she took on the trees? She's got this."

Coulson stared down at Skye, her eyes were focused on the bar that was roughly ten feet away. If she didn't have enough momentum, she would fall. He knew she would fine because the sand didn't hurt, but the thought of her falling scared him. Skye started  
swinging her body back and forth before she released the bar and did two flips in the air.

Coulson held his breath as she floated in air until her hands grasped the red metal bar. All the agents around him cheered her on, but Skye didn't hear them. She pulled herself up until she was standing on the red bar, her hands gripping the the metal  
that kept the bar off the ground. Skye took a breath and began to pull herself up at quick speed despite how tired she was.

The crowd started chanting go until she made it above them and rang the silver bell that hung over their heads. Every agent started cheering again, even Coulson couldn't help but to cheer with them. Skye looked down at all the people who had gathered  
around to watch her, a smile spread across her face as she raised her arm and made a fist.

"This video will circle the SHIELD site," said the agent behind him.

Coulson pulled out his phone faced the agent, "Agent, you mind sending that to me."

The agent nodded, "Yes sir."

After a minute, the full video of Skye's adventure was on Coulson's phone and he intended to watch it from beginning to end. He looked back to find that Skye was climbing down the bars again until she landed on the same floor as him. He went over to her.  
A layer of sweat coated her skin, making her flyaways dark and stick to her face, but her smile was what drew Coulson in. The adrenaline was still high, her smile said as much.

"Skye," Coulson said pulling her attention from another agent.

Skye faced Coulson, surprised etched across her face, but she grinned nonetheless, "Hey AC. Meeting over?"

"Yeah," Coulson nodded, then gestured to the course, "That was incredible. You did all that?"

Skye looked embarrassed, "Well I-I mean- yes. Yes. How much of that did you see?"

Coulson answered, "I only saw you get through the gates and the last part. I'm still very impressed with you."

"Thanks," Skye said with a sheepish smile, "So... we heading out?"

Coulson nodded.

When he turned around he just faintly heard the other agent who recognized as Agent Morse say, "Remember what I told you."

Skye told her, "I will. See you around Bobbi."

With that, Skye walked away with Coulson to meet their team in the hangar.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: More or less a filler a chapter, but important. This will lead to the next step in Skye's secret beginning to unravel. I apologize for the delay in updates, I've fallen pretty far behind in my stories. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up soon and get back to updating more consistently.**

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen: Hidden Things Part I**

"Stay on the ground floor," May instructed, "Ward and I will take a look around the offices and small rooms."

Part of Skye wanted to protest being stuck here in the front area of the church however she decided not to argue. She had already spoken with the priest who had been a witness earlier, she wasn't necessarily needed at this point. Even though Skye knew she could be useful in helping them look around for anything unusual, she figured it would be better not to argue. Instead she nodded stiffly.

May and Ward walked away from the obviously annoyed young woman without a word. Ever since the sighting of Deathlok, Mike Peterson, Skye had been anxious to find out where he was. Not to mention she needed to know every single detail of what happened to him. It was her fault that he was taken and turned into a half man-half machine.

Skye wrapped her arms around her stomach as a wave of nausea rested it's ugly head. A week ago she had started working on recreating the serum that Wade had been injecting her, but to no avail. If anything the synthetic version was unstable and would potentially do more harm to her than the original formula would. For now she only had the original formula to keep her somewhat healthy. However after the first injection she gave herself, she experienced the symptoms of withdrawal.

Skye could not understand _why_ it reacted this way. Why she wouldn't go through withdrawal symptoms right after not taking it or why they showed up when they did. There were pieces of the puzzle that she was missing. It was driving her insane, yet at the same time it gave her a thrill. This was something she didn't know and couldn't predict. In spite of herself she let the corners of her mouth twitch upwards. There was something she didn't know. Not for long though. She would figure it out soon though, she'd be damned otherwise.

Skye took a deep breath, trying to focus on anything but the growing pit in her stomach. Trying to ignore it wouldn't make it go away she needed a distraction until it passed. She walked out of the lobby of the church and down the first hall on her right. Growing up at St Agnes had made her accustomed to the decorating choices of churches. Several pictures of various saints hung on the beige colored walls. Skye knew the Petersons weren't religious, so she had to wonder exactly why Deathlok would come here.

Who would send him here? And why? What was hidden here that he needed? Skye thought over everything she had read on this church. It was a local one, not the type to hold anything significant. There wouldn't be anything special or valuable here, except maybe a person. Deathlok hadn't kidnapped anyone, a few people have been killed, but all because they were in his way. No targets. Deathlok had stolen objects though. Technology and intelligence. It made Skye extremely curious as to why a poorly funded church would catch his eye. Skye continued down the hallway when she looked through a window to see an empty room with a piano inside. A practice room.

" _Why do I have to play this?"_

 _"Because they want to test your memory."_

Skye frowned softly at the memory, yet she found herself walking into the empty room. The room was 20X10, the piano laced in the dead center with the lid up. The sound of her converse against the hardwood floor filled the silence until she stood before the instrument. Skye let her fingers run along the covering board. It was Spruce wood. Skye wasn't too surprised by the wood choice, spruce wood was the most commonly used wood in assembling pianos. She lifted the covering to gaze at the black and white keys. How long had it been since she last played?

The last time Skye had so much as looked at an instrument was when she was eighteen. Then she had been messing around with a guitar before returning to do more work for the scientists. Skye glanced over her shoulder at the mostly closed door of the practice room. May and Ward probably wouldn't come down this way. She could play a note or two before they finished. Besides it would take them awhile to shift through the offices, she had time. Skye refocused her gaze on the piano keys.

Hesitantly she let her fingers hover above the keys before pressing down. The sound the piano made was delicate, gentle as a breeze. Skye let her fingers go into the right position before pressing again, she played every note she could remember once. Without really thinking about it, the music entered her mind and she began to copy the noise making it come to life. The cool touch of plastic ivory against her warm fingers was refreshing.

Had playing always been this nice? Skye shook her head at the thought. Of course it wasn't. Wade sucked the fun out of everything. Unlike Hydra or SHIELD which didn't have any fun to begin with. Skye paused for a moment letting the notes fade out until a song came to mind. The first song she ever played in the music area with Wade had been Fur Elise. It was one of the only pieces that she could just play through without having to match the notes to anything or be tested on it for whatever purpose the scientists had. Rather it was the song she could use to drown out all that.

Her fingers found the keys without a problem and before she knew, she was playing through the song. She shut her eyes, letting the darkness be the only thing she could see as the music filled her ears. When that song ended, she switched to a slower tune. It took a moment for her to realize she was playing Swan Lake. She hadn't been a fan of that one, but the melody was slow and melancholic in an almost hypnotizing way. All too soon, she found that she had finished yet another song. Skye opened her eyes at this point.

While she knew she should probably head back to the lobby to wait for Ward and May, she couldn't help but notice how her fingers twitched while away from the keyboard. She wanted to continue play, if only to distract herself for a little while and let go of her troubles. If only for a few minutes longer. Skye took a seat at the piano bench, her calves grateful for the reprieve as she stretched them out slightly. Without much thought, she just played to whatever melody filled her mind.

* * *

"It still doesn't make any sense as to why Deathlok would come here," Ward sighed, punching the bridge of his nose.

May nodded in agreement. There was nothing on file that could potentially be important enough for Deathlok to come here and steal. It also wasn't like this was just a regular visit to confession either. There had to be a specific reason as to why he came here. There hadn't been any damages done, Deathlok hadn't tried to break in anywhere. A priest had spotted him running through the halls, several of the doors opened yet nothing reported stolen. Some areas were a mess, but he must not have found what he was looking for.

"Would Skye know anything," Ward asked, his brow furrowed, "She knew Deathlok before he was Deathlok."

"The only thing useful she mentioned was that he wasn't religious, think he suddenly decided to convert," May said dryly.

Ward shrugged in defeat, "I don't know. I'll check the last room to see if maybe he left a trace."

May nodded, "I'll grab Skye. Radio if you find something."

Ward acknowledged her with a nod of his own before exiting the office. When Coulson had found this mission, May expected it would be a little more put together. Yes given Deathlok's recent moves, she shouldn't have been surprised. There appeared to be no pattern in where Deathlok was except that he stole advanced technology and information. Neither of those two things would be found at a small church.

May walked out do the room to head to lobby with her thoughts still primarily focused on this case. While she, Ward and Skye were here, Coulson and Fitzsimmons were still at the Bus. Fitzsimmons going over his recent activity with Coulson leaving the specialists and rookie to be on site. However May wasn't sure Skye was a rookie after all, especially if that video of her going through the course was anything to go off of. May had been sure that Skye knew some forms of self defense given what her files said, but nothing to the level of what she had seen from Coulson.

In training Skye definitely did not show this side of herself. When Ward saw it, he couldn't help but to ask what the entire team was thinking. Where and how did she learn to do that? Skye had dodged the questions each time, giving only the vaguest of answers in response. May had her suspicions, but would not voice them until she had a little more proof. When the agent arrived to the lobby she wasn't surprised to find Skye nowhere insight. The young woman tended to wander when bored or left alone for too long. May was about to pull out her walkie when she heard the music, a piano.

It was faint, most likely due to distance, but it was there. The priest had just left in the opposite direction of the church, not to mention no one else was here considering the recent event. May put the walkie away and followed the music down the hall. The closer she got, the clearer the music became. The melody matched a ballet that May had seen with her mother when she was younger. It was the March of the Nutcracker, but on only piano. The piano was close now, she could hear it coming from in front of her where the open white door was.

May walked over a bit cautious until she came up to the viewing window where she spotted the missing young woman, her eyes shut tightly. May moved forward to see her fingers flying across the keys. The only time May had ever seen her fingers move so quickly was over her laptop keys. Since when could Skye play piano? Since when was she this good? How many other hidden talents did she have? The video of Skye's physical had been a shock to May and now this. What else could Skye do that she never shared? The climax of the piece was just starting, how Skye managed to play it effortlessly was beyond May.

If May wouldn't have known better she would have mistaken her for a prodigy or possibly professional. May listened to Skye and studied her as her body moved with every note she played. Skye would press down on the keys harder than necessary, it made the piece sound angry. The only one who was angry here was Skye. When Skye finished, May didn't say anything or alert Skye of her presence. Instead she watched to see if Skye would play anything else. Skye's hands clenched tightly into fist. May noticed her shoulders were trembling slightly.

The older woman moved to the door and was about to speak, but stopped when Skye started playing again. It was a piece May didn't recognize. All she could guess from it was that it was no easy piece, Skye's fingers moved in quick procession together. Little jabs on each key the same way someone would type on a laptop, the same way Skye would hack. Never holding down on a key for long. While the other piece had ended rather quickly, this one seemed to drag on in May's mind. Minutes had passed, but May didn't seem to mind as she always enjoyed the sounds of the piano. Skye played this song with a lighter touch, only pressing hard on a few certain notes. With every few beats, May noticed Skye would move with the music only to stop and start moving with it again.

When Skye finally finished this piece, May spoke, "What piece was that?"

Skye jerked in her seat as if she had been electrocuted. The young woman turned around to see May, thinly veiled panic in her brown eyes.

Skye forced the panic away, "Oh uh, Moonlight Sonata, 3rd movement by Beethoven."

"I didn't know you played," May said entering the room, her arms folded over her chest.

Skye swallowed, "Oh yeah. No one else at St Agnes would do it at the masses so I did it. Sister Joan had me practice for hours."

May raised an eyebrow at that, not buying the story. There was no way that the nuns would teach her how to play piano during her brief stays with them. Not to mention they wouldn't teach her something as complicated as that.

"And they taught you all that," May questioned. Skye shrugged her shoulders, she turned back to the piano, "I taught most of it to myself. Once I got better, I made up my own songs and learned other ones that they would never let me play. You and Ward have any luck?"

"No," May answered deciding not to press Skye, "All we know is that he was here, but no reason why. We're going to meet the others at the second location."

Skye nodded, though she didn't face May. While Skye had been playing, she had been running through reasons as to why Deathlok would stop here. Earlier Ward had asked her a bit of Mike and if he would have any motive to stop at a church. Skye's first answer had been no, but the more she thought about it, the more she wondered if it was because of her.

What if he was trying to send her a message? The idea didn't sound too far off, but Skye couldn't let herself hope. For all she knew, and she knew a lot, he could be being controlled. Whether by force or complete takeover was beyond her at the moment. Unless it was something she told him.

"Skye," May said, "We need to go."

Skye didn't move, "Hold on a sec."

Skye leaned forward, she looked under the strings of the piano, her gaze moving to the edges. It was there she found it.

 _I hid messages in little places at the orphanage._

 _I bet that came in handy, tell me some places._

 _Sure._

"There," Skye said getting up from her seat.

"Where," May questioned moving to stand by Skye. The young woman put her finger against the carving, it was a number. **37**.

May frowned, "That number could be anything or from anyone."

Skye shook her head and looked at May, "I taught him that. To hide messages in unassuming places. It's from him, but for what remains the question…. unless it's a room here."

"There was an office with that number, but Ward and I found that it was left untouched," May explained to her.

Skye's brown eyes lit up, "No it wasn't. Where's the office?"

"This way," May said exiting the room.

The two women rushed down the hallways and up the stairs until May stopped outside a white door with a small silver rectangle on the door. The numbers 37 carved into it. Skye brought her fingers underneath it, once she had a secure enough grip she jerked her hand. The rectangle popped up and a small slip of paper fell. May bent down to pick it up. It read **4357-63-7593**.

"This mean anything to you," May asked her with a raised eyebrow.

Skye stared at the paper for a few quiet moments, "Help me Skye. The numbers match a letter the way a flip phone would. He's trying to reach me."

"For what purpose," May asked, "This could be a trap."

Skye didn't doubt that, "Maybe, but I know Mike. The only reason he would do any of the horrible things he's done is for his son, who had in fact gone missing."

"Let's meet up with Coulson and the others, compare notes,"May said pocketing the small paper.

Skye nodded wordlessly. The young woman followed the senior agent out of the piano room with echoing words in her mind. Skye knew that this was a setup, she could feel it in her bones that Mike-Deathlok was going to betray her. However she had to play into his hands if she wanted a chance to finally be free of her demons. If she ever wanted to get away, she had to find a way to get rid of them.

The real question was how? How would she get rid of them? She knew they needed her in order to complete their plans, but that was something she no longer wanted to do. She didn't want to do anything for them. What could she possibly do to get them to leave her alone? Skye didn't have an answer, but she prayed to whatever higher power was listening that she could figure it out.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

Skye truly thought she was going to burst into tears which didn't happen to her often, but today was an exception. After everything she had done, after all the work and time and effort she had put into hiding this… she should have known it would have all been in vain. Her secret was out and there was no way that she could take it back. Standing in the Bus lab with her back to the team she had trusted and lies to, she wondered if maybe she could find a way out of this.

Maybe she could spin another tale about how she did what she did. Maybe there was a way for her to twist what happened late last night and what she had accomplished today. No, there really was no way around it. She had disarmed Deathlok, Mike Peterson, after she knocked him unconscious and making some… adjustments to the technology in his body. She had saved Fitz's life after he had been injected with the serum that would have caused him to explode if she hadn't stepped in. She had also created a, for lack of a better word, cure of the Centipede soldiers. Those were not things a hacker, high school dropout could accomplish in twelve hours.

Last night had been the start, when the unraveling began. Bobbi had given her the Failsafe two weeks ago, it should have worked only it didn't. Skye quickly realized that instead of helping her symptoms, it worsened them. Last night she had been on the brink of meltdown. All she felt was sick and in pain. It had taken her a few minutes to understand why. The Failsafe had stopped attacking her nervous system and was now targeting the heart. The blue liquid couldn't do anything about that. At three in the morning, Skye had been in the lab working on a formula that would keep her heart pumping and force the Failsafe out of her. Agent May had found her then, but before May could really ask, Skye had run off to her bunk and promptly passed out.

May would have asked her what had happened the previous night, but then they had been called on a mission. Based off of what they had found in the church days before and what Coulson had gathered from the last known sighting, they set off to a possible location. It turned out to be the right one. This mission resulted in the capture of Deathlok and the near death of Fitz. While during Simmons near death experience they had hours, Fitz only had minutes before fate decided to take him. She knew this and she knew she couldn't sit back this time. It had been luck the first time around. Skye was never lucky twice.

She suppressed a shudder at the memory of Deathlok, of Mike, shooting something at Fitz. The dart was filled with liquid that rivaled the yellow mess of the sun. He fell to the floor instantly, crying out as the unconcentrated serum began to flow through his veins. He couldn't handle a straight injection like that, not with all the chemicals mixed together in an unstable way as they were.

 _You could save him,_ Deathlok had said to her, _you could save him._

His words hadn't meant to be taunting the way Derek would have liked. Instead they were a reminder for her that she could save him. That was exactly what she did. The prototype stun guns she had been working on in secret had dendrotoxins in them which she knew could counter the effects of the centipede serum. All she had to do was put it all together, but that couldn't happen with Deathlok still there.

Skye glanced at the screen in the command center, the footage displaying the events from earlier. Skye watched herself take out Deathlok. How she charged at him, holding nothing back. Using radio waves, she disrupted the feed in his robotic eye making him half blind and stopping him from being able to predict any of her attacks. When she was close enough, she dodged all of his attempts to hit her and went charge the base of his neck. All of Deathlok connection to his cybernetic limbs were at the top of his spine, base of his neck. All she had to do was hit it with enough force to leave him momentarily paralyzed.

When he was down, Skye used the prototype gun on him. It knocked him unconscious, but Skye knew that it wasn't strong enough to counter off his own serum. There was too much of it in his body. Fits on the other hand could take it and survive, if she could get it to stabilize further. That was hours ago. Skye, with the help of Simmons, created a formula to help Fitz. No one had questioned Skye earlier, there wasn't any time then. But now, Skye knew her time of dodging questions and giving vague answers was over. May paused the feed.

"Skye," said Coulson, the first to break the tense silence, "What happened today is something we can't just ignore. You knew how to disarm Deathlok even though most of that technology had never been seen before, you managed to stabilize Fitz then get all traces of the Centipede serum out of him in less than thirty minutes. That- it's well."

"You need to give us some real answers," May cut in sharply, her voice hard as stone.

Skye turned around to look at her team, finally finding the courage to face them. Coulson was looking at her in a new light. It was the same look she had seen on his face when he came to her after the obstacle course at the Hub. May only stared at her with narrowed eyes, yet she wasn't angry. Skye remembered that May had been aware of her secret without actually knowing what the secret was. Perhaps May was annoyed that Skye's secret had proven to be quite useful and had not been used all this time. Skye could understand that. It would be exactly how she would feel if she were in the opposite side of this situation.

Ward looked like a deer in headlights. If anything, he was the most surprised and a little awestruck besides the scientists. Fitzsimmons both were in awe of Skye, but that didn't hide the hurt they felt that she had lied to them. That she had been lying to them since the day she got here. How did this happen? Skye already knew how it happened, but that didn't stop the question from going through her mind.

Skye swallowed thickly, "What do you want to know?"

"How about the truth," May said, her tone had softened ever so slightly.

Skye really did not want to tell the truth about herself. How could she? When she had spent so long trying to hide it, how could she bring herself to finally tell the truth about herself?

"My real name is Daisy Johnson, I don't remember my parents, but I know they were both present in my life along with a boy who I believe is my brother until I was around the age of four," Skye started slightly breathless, "I have, according to a test, an IQ over 200 though I'm not sure that's true. In all honesty it's my memory that makes me smart. Sure I can problem solve, but because I remember every solution and can use reasoning to come up with an appropriate answer-"

"You're a genius," Simmons whispered, the initial shock was coming back to her.

While Simmons aided Skye in helping Fitz, she couldn't focus on the news or process exactly who was helping her. All her focus had been on saving her best friend who was standing beside her again.

Skye shook her head, "I was whatever Wade told me to be. Genius. Spy. Invisible. Chef. Warrior. Teacher. You name it. Ever since I was around the age of nine I had been under Wade's watchful eye. They held me captive for years only ever letting me leave when a client of their was in need of some kind of assistance…. what happened there is not something that needs to be out in the open."

"Is that why Wade came for you," Fitz questioned, "Because of your mind?"

"Not exactly," Skye admitted, though she was unsure, "They came for more than just my mind. If anything they came because I'm the experiment they can still control."

Skye wrapped her arms around her abdomen, a brief wave of nausea washing over her and she knew it wasn't from this trip down memory lane. The formula Bobbi had given Skye before was not helping the way she had hoped. Rather it seemed to speed the process along, Skye figured that would have to be because of how long it had been since her last dosage.

Black dots swarmed her vision as a sharp pain grew in the center of forehead. The headaches were becoming a common thing for Skye. At first she thought it was something that Wade had done to her, but she knew it wasn't them. At least not directly. These headaches had come around during her first few months away from Wade until they just went away. Now it seems that they were making another appearance. Skye inhaled sharply forcing herself to focus on the others.

Ward spoke next, "What did they have you do?"

Skye glanced at him, "Enough for me to regret it… I made the eye in Deathlok and Akela. That was something Wade had me do, create technology and experiments. The centipede serum was something I made which is how I knew what to counter it."

There was a moment of silence that stretched into minutes. No one was really sure what to say. May wasn't that surprised. In fact, she had suspected from the beginning that Skye was far from who she said she was. How much of a difference was yet to be determined by the older woman, but now it didn't matter anymore. Though May wasn't one to hand out pity, she had to admit she felt sorrow for the young woman before her and a bit of understanding.

Coulson was taking this as a shock. He knew Skye was more than what she seemed, especially after the kidnapping that occurred. But now looking at her, hearing what she was hiding left him speechless. It may not of changed how he felt about her, but his view of her had definitely been altered. Something Fury had told him a short time after he brought Skye on board echoed in his mind. _That girl… something's not right there Phil. Watch yourself._ Skye couldn't take the silence anymore.

"Look, I know that I lied and put you all in danger and didn't help you when I should have," Skye broke off, her glossy eyes focused on the floor, "But I never… I never meant any harm to come. Even with Wade I didn't want to hurt anyone."

"You made weapons for them, what did you think they would do with your designs," Ward pointed out.

Skye narrowed her eyes slightly at him, "It was never my call. You try being a kid who knew more than she should. You try fighting against dozens of guards and scientists at the age of nine… Saying no was not an option I had. Whenever I tried to make it an option, the only one who got hurt was me and I have the scars to prove it."

Simmons rested a hand on Skye's shoulder. The younger woman flinched, but relaxed when she looked at the female scientist.

"You did what you had to do in order to survive, we won't blame you for that," Simmons told her gently.

While Simmons wasn't terribly upset with being lied to by her friend, she was partially hurt by the fact that Skye hadn't done as much as she could have when the team was in serious danger. However, the British woman could understand why she held back.

"But what I don't understand is why didn't you tell us the truth," Fitz said softly.

His skin had regained its normal hue, but his eyes were still red rimmed and glassy. Not to mention the healed wound on the back of his left shoulder where the serum had entered his body. Fitz hated when the people he cared about lied to him or hid things from him. Skye had become like a sister to him. To know she had be keeping so much from him and the team stung.

Skye frowned, "I-I couldn't. Every time someone knew my secret, all they wanted to do was use me and I hated SHIELD."

"You hated SHIELD," Coulson repeated hollowly.

May questioned, "Why?"

Skye answered in hoarse voice, "Because SHIELD is the reason I lost my parents."

"You said your name was Daisy Johnson, right," Coulson asked, "You're parents Jiaying and Calvin?"

Skye nodded.

Coulson said with a look of realization, "There was a mission to retrieve a family of four, the Johnson's."

Skye looked at him sadly, "SHIELD agents came to my house, they took us away because of something my dad had done. We were separated which lead to me being put in the foster system and right into Wade's hands. None of this would have happened if SHIELD would have left us alone. I couldn't tell you the truth. I was afraid you would use me the way Wade did or worse, get rid of me like I believe you did to my parents."

Coulson shook his head, "We lost the Johnson's in a quote on quote road accident. The scientist and suspected inhuman gone, their two children vanished as well."

Skye's eyes flashed at the term inhuman. She recognized the word from the older boy who 'lived' across from her for a little while. He said that Inhumans were like a superior race that had been buried and lost, kind of like an old legend. She hadn't thought of inhumans since then, though she had done some research at Wade a few years ago. Only that search ended with severe consequences.

Skye shrugged, "it doesn't matter now."

"If you hated SHIELD so much, why did you break into HQ," Ward asked, his brow furrowed.

"Part of the reason was to see if I could find anything on my parents, I also wanted to find Bobbi," replied Skye.

"You know Agent Morse," May said, a little stunned.

Skye nodded, "She helped me get away from Wade for a little while when I was fourteen. I saw her when we made our pit stop at the HUB. Then the other reason, well…. I was hoping to gather more information in general. For other reasons I can't get into now."

"Why not," May asked her.

Skye shrugged again, "The information is useless to me now. I won't make it another week at this rate."

"What do you mean by that," Coulson questioned, a pit forming in his stomach.

Everyone had noticed Skye's declining health. It was mostly little things, all of which could be easily overlooked. All the symptoms Skye was showing were too scattered across the board that Simmons couldn't give her a proper diagnosis.

"Failsafe," Skye answered vaguely.

Ward raised an eyebrow at her, "So what is the Failsafe exactly?"

Skye had a small debate in her mind wondering if she should tell them the truth or not. At this moment, she didn't they were going to lock her away or harm her. Part of her believed they would actually help her, but she was still unsure of how true that was. Skye took a breath, it was now or never.

"Years ago when I was with Wade they would inject this… enhancer you could say. It was designed to strengthen the body, not exactly like steroids per se, but along those lines. More or less, a smaller and not as powerful version of super soldier serum. It was meant to strengthen my physical body. Make muscles stronger, more flexible, accelerated healing and the like. The Failsafe is what they gave me in order to keep it this way along with my physical activity," Skye explained.

Coulson interrupted, "Like a super soldier serum?"

Skye thought for a moment, "Sort of, not all the way, but I suppose you could call it that. But I haven't had it in two years meaning the darker effects are taking effect. It's like an addiction. When a person takes the same drug every day for years or smokes for years, an addiction has been set in motion. When that addiction is set, it almost never leaves. If the person decides to stop one day, the consequences can be very painful. That happened to a while after I ran away only I was too blind and scared to see it."

Coulson nodded, "So what is it doing to you now? Is it similar to withdrawal?"

Skye inhaled, "To an extent. I'm not dope sick. Basically without having the enhancers all this time my immune system, nervous system, white blood cells, enzymes and all that stuff that is meant to keep my body functioning is starting to lose power. It's not shutting down yet, but if I don't get this stabilizer in within the next seventeen hours and thirteen minutes we may have a problem. Without the stabilizer my systems will collapse on themselves forcing my body to _shut down_. I won't die, yet. It will leave me in a comatose state for approximately 400 hours. If I stay in that coma state into my eh deadline, then I will die. So even if you planned to use me, you couldn't."

"Skye we don't want to use you," Coulson told her.

"How can we stop it," Simmons said, Fitz finished, "And what do you need for the stabilizer?"

Skye raised an eyebrow, "Why? I've accepted my end."

"Well we won't," Ward said sharply, "You matter to us. If there's a way to save you, we're going to do it."

"Even after I lied to you and put you in unnecessary danger," Skye questioned.

May spoke, "Danger is in our job description. It doesn't matter to us. We're here for you, regardless of what's happened." "They're right," Coulson said, "Now, how do we help?" Skye looked at each of them, unsure of what to say, but she felt the corners of her mouth move up slightly.

* * *

 **AN: Hey guys. I know it's been a long time since my last update and I'm not filling this note with excuses. For awhile now I just couldn't find it in me to want to write anymore, which was strange considering how much I loved it and usually couldn't go a day without it. Yet, somethings happened and I no longer had that love in me. It wasn't gone exactly, but it wasn't all there either. It's kind of like when you can barely reach something. Where your fingers can touch it, but you can't grab it. That's how I felt about writing. I could touch it, I knew I still enjoyed it, but I just couldn't do it for personal reasons. I'm not all the way back into it, but I'm slowly getting there. I don't know when the next chapter will be, I still have outlines and plans for it and all that, but when I'll be able to write is the question. I'm sorry for the wait, I feel terrible doing that to you guys. That's just how it happened. I hope you guys have a good day.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey, so I'm back-ish from HIATUS. Not completely, but I have a goal to get better. A post each month at the very least, even if it's a small post, I'd like to make sure each story I have receives some attention and that all readers aren't left waiting for so long. I'm posting in honor of the new year and in celebration for my word count of fanfiction. I have written almost one million words in FanFiction since I first began this journey in eighth grade. Now as a senior in high school I'm glad to see that I have continued to read/ write. I am also posting several stories that have remained sitting in my google docs over this week. Hope you guys enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter Sixteen**

Darien methodically twirled the syringe between his fingers, staring at the computer screen in silence. He had hacked into the SHIELD planes camera feed ages ago in order to keep an eye on the dying girl he had to save. The small syringe in his right hand would save her, but he planned to wait until she only had an hour left. It was more or less a test to see if she could solve the problem on her own, how well she worked when her life was on the line. Not to mention he really hoped he could use this as a last resort.

The young man stared at the screen a bit longer, his eyes studying as the SHIELD agents and 'Skye' moved around the lab trying to create the formula he held. It would have been easy for him to swoop in, take her away and give her the formula, but he was a man of patience and action at the perfect time. Despite his desire, he would wait until the time was right.

Only three more hours to go. So far he had to admit he was impressed what she was able to come up with considering the very limited supplies allotted to her on that overgrown plane. Though whatever she came up with wouldn't hold her over for long, maybe long enough to keep her breathing, but not all functional. He sighed, two hours, fifty eight minutes, twenty seconds left. 19. 18.

* * *

The first stabilizer had been completed within an hour, but it attacked her respiratory system making it harder to breathe. The second stabilizer was finished three hours later, she coughed up blood for half an hour straight. Time was running out, each time they finished one it only hurt her more. The formulas they made did nothing, but speed the process along.

They went to different places, gathering quick supplies from SHIELD bases, but none of the combinations were doing any good. All they were doing was destroying her. Skye could barely stand anymore, her legs feeling like jello with every step she took. Not to mention the overwhelming amount of nausea that continued to possess her. She was using the lab table in the center of the room to keep her upright, otherwise she would collapse.

Fitz suggested that she simply sit down and take the Rollie chair so she could still move around the room. Skye refused. She knew once she gave into exhaustion, she wouldn't be able to fight it any longer. This was agony. The pain in her chest and stomach had steadily increased from dull ache to tight knots. Her head was fogged and it was getting harder for her to ear, almost like cotton balls were in her ears. Everything was muffled or sounded far away. Fitz was hopeful this one would be the one, but she knew it wouldn't.

Deep down she knew that the materials she had and substitutes she used wouldn't be enough to save her, but she had to try. She had to try and survive, if not for herself then for the people she had come to know and love like a family. Fitzsimmons moved around the lab in a blur, May had left to land the plane while Coulson and Ward did whatever Skye or Fitzsimmons told them to do. They didn't understand most of what any of them were saying, they merely retrieved whatever they needed.

Coulson has gotten in touch with one of his friends to see if they could clear a lab in the nearby area. There was one that they were fairly close to, but Skye knew by the time they arrived and moved everything it would be too late. A wave of despair filled Skye the more she thought about the clock ticking silently in the background. With every second that passes, the closer she was to her very possible and now likely death. Well comatose state, then ultimate death.

For a brief period in her life she hadn't cared whether she lived her died, being with Wade all that time had taken its toll and she no longer had the desire to live because of what they had been doing. They had taken everything from her, she had nothing left. Two reasons kept her moving though.

When she barely escaped at thirteen and saw the older boy wearing a hospital gown similar to the one she often wore. He was standing there with two guards at his side. There was someone else here, some other kid. That had been her first experience seeing someone close to her age after all this time, it filled her with a bit of hope. Reminded her that she actually wasn't alone here. And then at fourteen, she had tasted freedom with an agent and sister named Brenda. Who promised to find her, who promised to always help her. Those promises were kept.

Skye took a shaky breath, less than two hours remained and they were no closer to finding a cure than they were an hour ago. The formula she remembered might have been nearly complete, but it wouldn't be enough. Skye hated giving up, but she never picked a fight that she couldn't win. This was very likely one that she would lose.

"Guys, stop," Skye said shakily interrupting an ongoing argument between Fitz and Ward, "Just-just stop."

Ward sighed, "Skye's right, we can't keep fighting like this. We have to work together if we're going to fix this."

Fitz nodded, "Agreed. I'm sorry for what I said, let's get back to work."

"No, that's not what I-I'm talking about this," Skye replied sadly.

"What do you mean," Simmons asked, her brow furrowed.

"We won't find the answer, we're no closer to finding the solution than we were an hour ago," Skye answered in a slightly bitter tone, "It was crazy to think I could find it after all this time."

"The formula is almost replicated, it could work," Fitz said confidently.

Skye frowned, "This has to end, i'm d-done."

"You want to stop," Ward questioned.

"No."

"Absolutely not."

"We can't stop now, we have to keep going."

They all chorused, the sudden noise caused Skye to wince. Whether from the volume or the tones of their voice, she wasn't sure. Blood pulsed in her ears, definitely volume.

"It's not worth it," Skye said sadly, her eyes began to burn, "I-I can't thank you enough for trying, but it ends here. I don't want to spend my last time here struggling to survive."

"But you can't just give up," Fitz exclaimed, horrified by the idea.

Coulson added, "He's right Skye. We still have a chance to fix this and as long as we have that chance, we'll figure this out. You can't stop now."

Skye looked at them sadly, her heart pounding slower in chest, but harder against her sternum. There were more things she could try, but she was tired, so tired.

She shook her head gently, "I'm sorry… there's nothing more that any of us can do."

"I can't accept that," Simmons shouted, her brown eyes shimmering with tears she had yet to shed, "You're going to make it. We've gone through too much to stop now! Come on, you're always talking about how people working together can accomplish great things! We can accomplish something great now."

"We're not done here, you aren't done here Skye," Coulson said sternly, "You have to keep fighting and we're wasting time arguing about this. We're going to find a solution and we're going to find it soon."

Skye opened her mouth to protest, but stopped short when the air was suddenly forced out of her chest. It was as if she had smashed into an invisible wall or something had stolen all the air from her lungs. She gasped to get air and fell to her knees, her name being chorused around the lab until darkness claimed her.

* * *

Bobbi hated surprises.

Staring at the young man before her made her anxious, annoyed and uneasy. He looked familiar in a way that didn't sit well with her and judging by his story, it made her anxious about what else he knew. It annoyed her that he showed up here unannounced and had gotten through all of security without being spotted once. The video cameras never caught sight of him, this terrified Bobbi slightly though she would never admit it or let it show.

He was the same height as her, his skin olive toned and hair dark brown, cut short on the side at the length of hunters while the top was a bit longer. What really unsettled Bobbi was his cheeks, nose and chin. They looked all too much like a friendly face she knew. If it weren't for his grey eyes… he would be a dead ringer for the girl he spoke so much about a moment ago.

Hunter broke the silence first, "So let me get this straight. You mean to tell me that you we're part of the same psychotic organization as Skye, have the cure to her supposed illness, have a blood relation to her, and that you need us to bring you to her?"

The young man tilted his head slightly to the right, "I know where she is, I need you get her people to bring her back here."

"Why should we believe you," Bobbi asked, arms folded over her chest and eyes narrowed.

He stared into her eyes and his gaze made Bobbi want to squirm, but she didn't break eye contact. The look in his eyes told Bobbi he was serious, that he was telling the truth. At the same time, several red flags and blaring sirens told her not to listen to him. Skye's life was on the line, she couldn't tell him no if did really have the cure she desperately needed to live. Bobbi couldn't do that to her sister, she just couldn't.

"She's the last connection I have to my past… I owe my childhood self a chance to see her again before I disappear," he answered, his jaw set and eyes hard.

"You have no proof," Bobbi countered, "For all we know thus could be a trap and you're going to steal her away."

"It's possible, but not in this universe," replied the man, "look I just want her to live. I can't get her here on my own, well I could, but it's more complicated that way. So please. Let me save her before it's too late."

Bobbi wanted to tell him no, wanted to ignore him, but she knew it wouldn't be possible. If could be her last chance

"You better save her," Bobbi hissed darkly, "If not, I will put several bullets in you."

The young man smiled joylessly, "If this doesn't work, I'll load the gun for you."

Bobbi didn't acknowledge his comment, she did however make a mental note of it. The trio left Bobbi's office and rushed to the open lab down below, getting ready for when Skye would arrive. It was a small lab, a few cabinet s against the back wall, a hospital bed in the center with an IV bag filled with whatever chemical the young man had brought inside it.

There were monitors waiting to be hooked up to their patient, Bobbi had seen the young man tinkering with him. He said he made some modifications to them in order to make sure they monitored correctly and saw everything precisely. Skye was going to need everything to be exact otherwise her chance of surging was much less. Skye would come, she had no place else to go now. The young man, who refused to give his name, had opened the channels for Bobbi to contact Coulson. Bobbi vaguely explained that she had something that could be used to save Skye.

He said Skye had blacked out minutes ago and was getting worse with every minute that passed by. This sparked new fears in Bobbi, she had only just found the young woman. How could she lose her after only having her back for such a short amount of time? Hunter held Bobbi's hand as often as he could with them all running around to make sure everything was in place. He wished he could offer her more than just a few hopeful words or the usual sayings of "it will be okay."

There was no guarantee that Skye would be okay, there was no way to know that she would survive this. The young man had said as much and while he kept his face casual, his body language suggested he was terrified by the idea of this not working.

"Why won't you tell us your name," Bobbi questioned as they stood in the lab.

Everything had been prepared to the young man's liking, now all that was left to do was wait for the call that said they BUS was landing. With the oddness of the situation settling down, Bobbi needed to get some answers. The last time she spoke to Skye, she looked okay enough and had said the syringes were doing their job. Bobbi wondered what changed, why they stopped or if they only sped up the process. The young man sighed, his eyes focused on his torn up tennis shoes.

"Because I need to make sure she only ever sees me as a ghost," he answered a bit somberly, "It'd be better that she never know who I am, where I come from. We have the same beginnings, but our paths aren't meant to cross anymore."

"But you're here, trying to save her," Bobbi pointed out.

Hunter nodded, "Clearly your paths were meant to cross mate. Why not stay, talk to her if she is the sister you lost."

The young man sighed dejectedly and looked to he side, "It's just better not to. It's my fault she was pulled into all this, I need to pull her out as much as I can before it's too late."

Before Bobbi or Hunter could say anything in return, her computer beeped relentlessly, Skye was here.

"We'll make sure everything is ready here," the young man said, "Go get our sister."

Bobbi's stared at the young man for a moment, taking in his words for a moment. He mentioned being related to Skye, but he never said anything specific. Their resemblance now made more sense than it had before. Bobbi nodded wordlessly and rushed out of the lab, running as fast as she could to meet the BUS team at the hangar.

The halls were clear in this area, whatever the young man had done had worked and no one else had come down this way since they arrived. Bobbi knew that working with him could potentially cause several problems, since there was no telling where he came from or who he worked for, but now wasn't the time to question it. He was her only chance to save Skye. No sooner had Bobbi walked out into the hangar had the ramp from the plane lowered.

The entire team was there, walking in step or a step behind Agent Ward who held Skye in his arms. Bobbi's breath hitched at the sight of the young woman, her usually olive skin was sickly pale, her dark hair pulled into a ponytail and her entire frame wrapped in a comforter. She looked worse than she had those years ago when she was sick with Bobbi. "Skye," Bobbi whispered softly as the agents met her at the doors.

"Symptoms," Bobbi questioned, though it came out as more of a demand with her tone.

The British scientist answered her, "Her temperature has dropped to 85.7 degrees, she's freezing and continuously trembles. She has regained conscious once, but that was only for a few moments and she only woke up to cough up blood."

Fitz added, "Her remaining unconscious has made it more difficult to tell all symptoms, but we think as long as she sleeps she's not in as much pain."

Bobbi nodded, "Alright, follow me."

Bobbi lead the group through the halls walking at a brisk pace, she prayed to whatever deity was listening that Skye survived to see another day. There was so much left to do, so much left for her to see. Bobbi opened the lab doors, she let the others go first. The young stood up sharply, the sight of Skye caused his own warm skin to grow pale.

Ward narrowed his eyes at him, "I recognize you. You were-"

"With Wade," Coulson finished, "in the grey shirt. You were shot."

The young man nodded, "I was, but I'm a fast healer. Listen, we can discuss my past later. Right now let's focus on saving this girl here."

"Why should we trust you to save her," Fitz asked, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Because I'm the only chance she has left," replied the young man sadly, "Lay her on the table. I have a serum that will save her."

A silent debate passed between the BUS team. They all wanted to save Skye, there was no doubt about that, but should they place their friends life in a strangers hands is what gave them pause.

"Coulson, it's your call," Ward said, his grip slightly tighter on Skye.

She was still shaking in his arms, but her eyelids weren't fluttering as much. Bobbi wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not. Coulson stared at Skye for a few quick moments, the gravity of the situation weighing down on his shoulders.

"This is our last chance," replied Coulson, he looked at the young man,"If you can save her, do it now."

The young man nodded, "Here's what I need you to do. Lay her down here, whichever two of you are the science wiz's get the equipment over here and start hooking her up. They're basic monitors, with a few upgrades to let us know everything that's going on. The serum is in that IV bag, all I need to do is hook up to the base of her neck."

"Her neck, why are you placing it in the spinal cord," Ward asked as he gently placed Skye on the table.

"Because the serum is in her nervous system, that's what built up and what it's going to tear apart. Right now her system is shutting down in the next few minutes it's going to tear itself apart beyond repair and she will die," explained the young man, his face growing darker with each passing second.

No one said another word after that for a while. Coulson and May stood on the side with Bobbi and Hunter next to them watching Fitzsimmons and the young man work rapidly. Bobbi gripped Hunter's hand tightly, her nerves were set into overdrive.

Hunter gave her hand a quick squeeze, "Don't worry love, Skye will make it through this."

"I hope so," was all Bobbi said.

The air in the room was tense, strained and thick with fear. Despite the situation, Bobbi felt a small bit of joy to see each person in this room cared about the unconscious woman here. That after all this time, Skye finally had what she wanted. For someone, for some people, to care about her. It wasn't until Skye was hooked up to the monitors and the IV was in her arm, that the silence broke. Her gasping, struggling to get into her lungs set them over the edge.

"Daisy."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Agents, I'm really dumb. I thought I was behind on chapter 17 but it turned out I was writing ahead for chapter 18 instead and just had the labels messed up. So here is the long awaited chapter 17 and by Wednesday, 18 will be set to go. My bad for the mix up! Repost since it was doing that weird code or whatever, not sure why it did that but hopefully it's fixed now.**

* * *

Skye's gasping for air ended as quickly as it started. She struggled for seconds, then she was back in the same state as before, comatose. This could be the end for a beloved rookie. Skye could truly be lost. The stranger could only stare at her for a few quiet moments with the saddest expression Bobbi had ever seen.

 _I promise, I'll always look after her._

None of the agents knew why the stranger had said Daisy. While Bobbi knew that had been a name of Skye's, she had no idea why he would use it on her now, though she supposed it was just a reaction.

Bobbi pushed it from her mind, Skye's life still hung in the balance and they were going to lose her if this man didn't something to help her. He was their last chance to save her, he had to do something. He had to.

The young man cursed under his breath as he worked furiously, spouting orders to Fitz-Simmons each of them trying to find a way to save the helpless young woman. Whatever he was trying to accomplish clearly wasn't working, time was running out and if a miracle didn't come, this girl would be lost to them.

"Why isn't it working," Fitz said angrily, "It should have worked, why won't she wake up?"

The young man released a bitter sigh, "It's too late. This won't do anything for her now."

"What else can we do, what do you need," Simmons asked expectantly.

There had to be more they could, there had to be a way to save her. They've come to far to save her, they've had her with them for too life of time. She had to live, she needed to live.

"Blood," whispered the young man, "Blood will save her."

A wave of confusion and a slight bit of fear washed over the agents. The man had said it softly enough that they weren't supposed to hear, but with the tense silence it was hard not to hear everything. The only other noise had been the shallow breathing coming from Skye as she struggled to hold on.

The young man moved past Bobbi and Hunter who stood before the cabinets. He pulled out a leather satchel and started to dig furiously, removing various weapon and papers and devices. No one asked what he planned to do. The desperation for this girl to live had reached new levels.

"This," said the stranger holding a syringe with blue liquid inside, "Will save her."

Coulson has no idea why, but the sight of the blue liquid sent a pulse of panic and pain through his entire body. Like he had been electrocuted. He grimaced at the sight, but the reaction went unnoticed by everyone except for the stranger and May.

"You said that before," Ward said, his arms folded over his chest.

"What exactly is that," Simmons asked, she was standing beside Skye.

Her pale hand wrapped around Skye's tan one, even though it had turned a sickly color. Skye's brown hair had enough sweat to turn back at it's roots, her cheeks nearly green. The rise and fall of her best would switch between quick and ragged or slow and shallow. No one knew which one was better.

"I'll explain after it saves her," said the stranger.

Coulson and Ward nearly moved to stop him, but one look at Skye reminded them that they were out of options. This would be their very last chance to save her. The stranger had hoped this moment wouldn't come, that he wouldn't need to use this on her, but without it, she couldn't survive.

He injected the blue liquid into her left arm, "Come on Days, stay with me kid."

For a few painful seconds, nothing happened. Skye continued to lay there, her breathing ragged and shallow. Disappointment, fear, sorrow swirled around the room like leaves in the wind.

Then she was gasping again, arching her back she choked in air. Bobbi felt her heart break at the sound. Simmons squeezed Skye's hand while the others stood frozen in fear. Skye's eyes opened as she gasped for another breath. A scream escaped her, but she forced it back down.

"What's happening to her," asked May, the slightest hint of fear in her tone.

Coulson looked at the stranger, "Is it working? Will it help her?"

The stranger didn't answer. Skye's face scrunched in pain as she tried to take another breath, but choked instead. The next breath she took sounded like a child who had been crying and just finally taken a breath. The stranger put a hand on her shoulder,

"Don't fight it." Skye's eyes opened again, her usually bright brown eyes were dark as coal.

Those dark eyes, they looked incredibly foreign on the hacker. What caused them to be so Dark was uncertain, but Bobbi had a few ideas. She stared at the stranger, but it was clear she wasn't really seeing him the way her eyes shifted. The stranger however thought he saw a flicker of recognition in those eyes. His heart ached at the sight, he prayed to whatever deity would listen that she would live.

Sternly he said, "Daisy don't fight it."

"Wrong," she strained to say, "That- that blood!"

The agents watched the stranger's shoulders tense and his body stiffen at Skye's words.

"Shouldn't-n't have," Skye cried out, tears slipping down her cheeks.

"There was no other way," said the stranger resting his hand on her head, "I'm so sorry."

Skye shut her eyes and her jaw clenched as she shook on the table. For several long seconds she stayed like that, her eyes squeezed shut and expression scrunched as if she were keeping herself from crying out in pain. It was clear that this was the case. After what felt like an eternity, her once rigid body relaxed on the table, her breathing evened out and her heart slowed to a normal rate.

Simmons checked the monitors, "She's stabilizing, uh ha, she's stabilizing."

"She'll be fine," said the stranger stepping away from her, "In the next few hours she should wake up feeling better than ever, maybe some fatigue for awhile, but otherwise fine. Now, I have to go."

He moved to grab his bag, but Bobbi stepped in front of him.

Bobbi said sternly, "You're not going anywhere until you give us some real answers."

"I can't do that," replied the man a bit sorrowfully, "It's better you know nothing. Plausible deniability and all that."

A crooked smile grew on his face and for a split second, Bobbi could practically see Skye in his face. Bobbi had no siblings of her own, so it always surprised her to see the resemblance siblings had. How their faces were more similar than parents, but still so different.

Coulson spoke next, "No, you don't get to just walked away. You saved her and I think we can all say we are grateful for that, but you have told us nothing. Who you are, what you gave her, why you're here."

The young man visibly swallowed, "I have to leave. One day I'll be back, but for now… she's safer with you. She's safer away from me and the hell I'd bring to her."

"Hell already came for her it looks like," commented Hunter a bit somberly.

"Yeah, but there's worse things out there after her," replied the young man, he looked at Skye once more before looking at the others, "When Wade's gone, I'll make contact."

"What is that supposed to mean," Coulson asked.

"I'm tearing that organization down," said the stranger, he glanced st Skye as he went on, "They won't hurt her or anyone else again."

"You can't do it alone," said Ward as if it were a fact.

The stranger grinned, "You'd be surprised how much I can accomplish on my own tin man. Keep her out of sight for awhile, I'll be back soon enough."

The silence that followed was only interrupted by the stranger moving and Skye's still heavy breathing. He started to pack his things in the satchel and no one moved to stop him. No one made move to the man, no one said anything to him.

Fitz-Simmons and Ward were too occupied watching the young woman, trying to make sure she was really okay. Thy were just waiting for her to start getting worse again, the thought terrifying them. Bobbi, Hunter, May and Coulson were completely focused on this stranger who refused to give his name of any information on himself.

Once all his stuff was in the bag, he moved towards the door and none of the agents tried to stop him. He would leave, but with any luck he would return.

May, who has been silent most of the time, questioned, "Can you give us a name? I think Skye would want to know who else helped her today."

This did cause him to pause in the door frame, his hand on the glass wall. This was the closest he had really been to her after all this time. The time when she was with Wade, he didn't count it.

She was at the hands of those monsters. Here, she had been in his hands for the first time since she was a small child. For the first time in a long time he finally got to take care of her, like he should have done before.

"Darien," he whispered softly, he looked at the agents with shimmering grey eyes, "Darien Johnson."

Without another word, he walked away letting the door fall closed behind him.

"Should someone follow him," Ward asked.

Bobbi shook her head, a ghost smile on her face as Skye's voice echoed in her mind from years ago.

 _Daisy Johnson, it's my real name. The one my parents gave me._

"He'll be back for her," Bobbi said with a nod, "He'll be back."

"How can you be sure," questioned Coulson as he glanced at the blonde haired agent.

Bobbi answered simply, "She's the only family he has left."

While there wasn't any concrete proof, Bobbi was certain that it was true. He looked too much like her, had her last name and same initials. It was too close and Bobbi didn't believe in coincidences.

"What's next then," Hunter asked after a beat of silence.

"Skye needs to be brought back to the Bus," Bobbi said, "Get her comfortable there and then go on about your usual routine in the air. She can't stay here, and this area won't be clear for much longer."

"Alright, we better get moving," Ward said.

"We'll update you on her condition," Coulson informed Bobbi who nodded gratefully.

Fitz-Simmons reluctantly unhooked the monitors from Skye. They didn't want to move her just yet, but if more agents came here then they would have too many questions to deal with. Besides after much debating in the room, there was more equipment on the BUS that would better monitor Skye and her condition.

Ward lifted Skye into his arms effortlessly, she tended slightly at the movement, but relaxed against him after a second or two. Silently Ward walked out of room with Coulson and May leading the way, on the look out for any wandering agents. The cameras in these halls would be disabled for another few minutes giving them enough time to not be seen.

Fits-Simmons followed the agents out with a wave to Bobbi and Hunter as they walked out the room. Bobbi watched with her arms wrapped around her stomach, worry weighing down on her shoulders.

"Anything I can do to help you," Hunter asked putting a hand on her waist.

Bobbi released a quiet sigh, "Call Mack. He should know about about her."

Hunter raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure he can handle it?"

"No," admitted Bobbi, "But I think he deserves to know she's alive."


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I actually can't remember dates to save my life, so here's the update that was supposed to be on Wednesday but is now today because i'm incompetent when it comes to knowing what day it is.**

* * *

Chapter Eighteen

It was hours later, Skye had yet to wake up. Lying on the bed in the center of the lab, a throw blanket over her and her head on a pillow. Fitzsimmons were either busying themselves with lab equipment, checking Skye's vitals or simply roaming.

Their worry hadn't subsided, if anything their fear was much more palpable. Skye was a great friend of theirs, family now, and the thought of losing her was killing them. It didn't matter that she lied or was different, they just needed her to live to see another day, to see many more of them.

Her vitals had stabled after the serum Darien had injected her with, but she hadn't made any further progress from that which left the BUS team concerned.

"Do you think she'll be okay," Simmons whispered dejectedly looking at her hands.

Fitz answered her in a gentle tone, "I can't say for certain, but I believe, I believe she'll make it through this."

Simmons lifted her head to look into Fitz's honey eyes, "What if she, what if… what if she doesn't make it?"

"The thought doesn't cross my mind," said Fitz, "She's strong, stronger than anyone. She will get through this, I refuse to believe otherwise."

Simmons didn't get the chance to speak when Skye's heart monitor sped up, the insistent beeping grabbing their attention. Fitzsimmons moves back into the lab where Skye had just jolted awake, a name repeatedly leaving her tongue.

"Darien," she said, a frantic look in her eyes, "Darien, Darien… I know, I know. Darien."

"Skye, Skye, look at me," Simmons said coming to her side.

"Darien," Skye muttered, her eyes looking around, but not really seeing.

Fitz spoke next, his tone firmer, "Skye. Take a breath. We're on the BUS,. We're in the lab."

Skye stared at him confused, "The lab? Oh! The lab!"

Simmons nodded with a weak smile, "Yes. We're back in the lab on the BUS."

"And, and the others," Skye said with a look of fear.

Fitz answered her, "Coulson, May and Ward are upstairs."

Skye took a quick breath, her dark eyes glazed over. The scientists were glad to see her awake, it was a step in the right direction. However now it was up to them to see just how much better she was or could become.

"On the BUS, in the lab, the others upstairs," Skye whispered, "Where, where's Darien? Is he here?"

"Darien," Simmons questioned with an eyebrow.

Skye modded quickly, she winced st the movement but ignored it. Her mind could only focus on the name, Darien.

 _I'll be there for you, always. Like uh, like a guardian angel. You may not always see me, but I'll keep watching out for you._

"He, he was there, Darien, he was there," Skye said staring at Simmons with a breathless and wavering smile, "I saw him, I, I heard him. It was him, it was, it was real."

"The man who came in," Fitz said, "He helped us save you."

Skye's smile widened at that. Though she was mildly annoyed about the blurry memory, since 99.9% of her memories were usually perfectly clear, she was too elated by the news. She could barely remember, but she saw him.

Memories of a boy named Darien Johnson, a boy somewhere between six and eight years older than herself. He had grey eyes that matched storm clouds and dark hair with skin that matched her own. He played with her everyday, he loved her. She could just barely reach the images, but she was going to get them. Silent tears slipped down Skye's cheeks.

"For so long I wasn't sure they were real," she said sadly, "That the family in my head, the memory not being clear made me think I had imagined it to deal with some sort of trauma, but I hadn't. He, he proves that my family was real. The johnsons, Darien, they were really mine… they were mine."

Skye's shoulders trembled as she struggled to keep herself together. But her near meeting with death and the appearance of a brother she wasn't sure was real left her a mess of emotion.

Nonetheless she felt happy to be alive, happy that she was right. The echoes she heard, the childish voices that haunted her weren't something she made up in her mind as an attempt to cope with the abandonment. No, they were real.

 _Ready or not here I come!_

 _You'll never find me!_

 _I'll always find you squirt._

Simmons hugged her crying friend, "They were real, we'll do everything in our power to find them and ring them back to you."

Skye blinked in surprise, she hiccuped, "What, what do you mean? You're, you're going to help, help me?"

Fitz answered like it was obvious, "Of course, why wouldn't we? You're family to us, it's our job to look out for you and make sure you're happy. If finding your biological family will make you happy, then that is exactly what we will do."

"Thank you," Skye said with a grin, "That, that means so much to me."

Fitz wrapped his arms around the hacker, "Anything for you, you're like the sister I never had."

Skye could only grin with labored breathing. Her head was throbbing, her chest aching, but her spirit had never been better. A handful of minutes passed and Skye was back asleep.

Her expression peaceful for the first time since she fell sick. It put the science duo st ease for a hit and helped settle the worries of the rest of their team upstairs as they gave their report in the command center.

* * *

*Two days later*

Skye was able to walk around by the second day, though her movements were sluggish, she was okay. Fitzsimmons were over concerned and precautious around her, as if she were a China doll on the verge of shattering.

Ward had avoided her for a bit, hesitant to be around her for a reason Skye couldn't decipher. Coulson acted much like the scientists on board while May was the only one who was acting normal with her. As if she were still Skye, not someone else or a terminally ill patient who could be lost at any given moment.

Skye couldn't blame any of them though. She had looked into the footage on the BUS, to see if she had missed anything else of importance since no one else was willing to give her too many answers.

On the footage she saw herself as a dead girl, with barely a breath of life in her body. Lying on the metal table was a dead girl, a dying girl. Skye shivered at the memory of her sickly pale skin, the darkness under her eyes.

The entire ordeal was foggy in her mind which unnerved her quite a bit considering she could recall 98% of her experiences, with the exception of her early childhood. Having this small segment merged together was surreal for her.

Though she could recall the vivid dreams she had during her unconscious state. They centered around the missing pieces of her early childhood where she had parents and her brother, Darien.

Skye leaned back on her bed. Despite what Fitzsimmons told her, she had left the mini medbay downstairs and came to her bunk. Originally she had tried to hide in one of the cars, but Ward stopped her, arguing about how she should still be in the med bay.

Skye had been furious and stormed off, luckily they didn't follow her. The last two days had been awkward at best, tense at worst. None of them questioned her about any of it and she didn't ask them any questions of her own. But the elephant in the room was only growing larger and getting harder to ignore.

The first night she started to feel like herself, May had sat with her for more than hour. Their conversation didn't fill the hour though, only a very small portion that reminded Skye of the first time she had been hurt here.

It annoyed Skye to no end that she had almost officially become the child or little sibling of the group, the one always in trouble and in need of protection. After all she had endured and survived without so much as a scratch compared to now, having been taken down three times…

It added to her scars and made her feel useless. She could take care of herself and had been for a long time now, though she had to admit it was… nice to have people looking out for her, trying to protect her.

Bobbi had wanted to do that as well, so did the man she was partnered though he never gave a real name or a fake one. Those two had been looking out for her, but this was different.

Skye glanced outside the plan window, her brown eyes stays glazed over over and red rimmed. She looked like a deprived addict and she felt like one. Maybe in a way she was.

"Skye," said Simmons with some hesitancy, "Sorry to bother you, but-"

Skye interrupted her, "Let me guess, more tests?"

Skye hated tests, the poking and prodding and whatever else would be done. Simmons knew that especially now more than before based off of new information on Skye's past and her reactions in general to anything related to the subject.

"I'm afraid so. We just want to be sure you're recovering well," explained Simmons.

Skye looked st the scientist and cocked her head to the side, "Recovering well? I couldn't walk two days ago and now I can get up and do whatever without a problem and you think that means I'm not recovering well? I'm _fine_ Simmons, nothing is wrong with me anymore. I don't need you or anyone else on this plane to fix me!"

Skye knew she wasn't being fair, but she couldn't help it. Her body nearly shut down on her, her world almost tore itself apart once again, she was so close to a brother she finally knew was real, not to mention all pain she was in.

All of that stuff in her system had taken its toll and that wasn't including the new stuff, the blue blood, that was now in her system. And worst of all, in a sarcastic and slightly ironic way, her period did arrive this morning.

She expected it would come around this time, but she was not prepared for the full force of it. Fitz nearly had a panic attack when he came to check on Skye only to see her in a pool of her own blood. It took a few minutes, but Fitz calmed down when he realized what happened. The two hadn't spoken since then.

Skye sighed, "I'm sorry… I'm, I'm just so, just so tired Jemma. I need it all to stop, i need to slow down or just end."

Simmons moved into the room sat next to Skye, "I know, it's so hard and while I cannot understand the extent of all you have been through, but you are not alone anymore."

"I'm always alone," whispered Skye.

 _No one will ever stand by you Mary, never._

"No," Simmons said sharply, "You have us and we will not stop fighting for you."

Skye released a bitter laugh, "I've become the child of the group then?"

"You already we're the child of the group," Simmons said with a dismissive hand, "all of us are here to protect you and help you. You are no longer anymore, you are apart of our family and we protect our own."

Simmons observed Skye, hoping to get a positive reaction from the younger woman. It was easy for her and the others on the BUS to forget that Skye wasn't even twenty two yet. On missions she acted older than she appeared, she spoke with the maturity of someone beyond herself.

When they first met her, she had an air of dorkiness about her, but an undermining of seriousness that was present. Looking at Skye now, Simmons though Skye looked younger than her age.

She looked like a frightened girl who desperately needed to know she wasn't alone, that she was cared for. Simmons hoped and prayed even that her words touched the hacker, that she knew all those words spoken were true.

Skye didn't say anything to that, she just wrapped her arms around Simmons. The scientist returned the hug and gripped the hacker tighter with a gentle smile. She knew it was Skye's way of saying thank you without being able to form the words.

Sometimes words were unnecessary.

* * *

Darien was almost impressed with himself for the work he had accomplished since he last saw Skye three days ago. In the span of fifty four, the other eighteen went to him sleeping, he had discovered twelve hidden Wade bases. He burned them all to the ground.

Darien decided that seeing his last relative so helpless and clinging to life had sent him on a rampage of sorts. For years he had planned to destroy Wade, but his plan had lied more in taking controlling of it rather than destroy.

The bases he had visited and left in ashes were the ones with the harsher memories he wished to forget. The ones he was certain haunted his and Daisy's dreams. A sigh escaped his dry lips, a cloud of steam left his mouth into the cool air of the night. He looked back behind to see the building still dancing in flames, his chest only a bit heavy from the smoke he inhaled.

"Not regretting your decision are you Dare?"

"Not a chance," said Darien with a smirk, he looked at his friend, "Pretty soon all those bases will be destroyed and when I get Wader under control, the people like Wade or Hydra or even some of SHIELD, will never hurt anyone special or different again."

His friend nodded, "Got that right. What about your inhuman project? You contacted Gordon about it before and Jayi-"

"Don't say her name," interrupted Darien, his nostrils flaring.

The friend raised his hands in surrender, "Okay, geez. She who must not be named was fine with it."

"That's cause she thinks she'd be in charge along with those other fools on that council," said Darien hotly, "Give me a break TJ. Once my project is in place, that council and that woman will lose all their standing with inhumans they do have. Besides I need Daisy to spearhead this inhuman project. The Secret Warriors will need someone like her leading the charge."

TJ sighed, "she hasn't even been reborn yet."

"I know that, but she'll be the best option," Darien said standing from his kneeling position.

"I still think Hellfire would be the best option to lead the group," said TJ with a grin.

Darien rolled his eyes, "First, don't talk about yourself in the third person. Second, you don't no a thing about being level headed and you rely solely on impulse. You'd charge right into any situation if it weren't for someone else stopping you."

TJ laughed at that, "Alright alright, I see your point. Hot heads aren't good for the cool headed positions. Where to now boss?"

"We're still in the gathering stages," said Darien, "We need a few more people off this list and about two other places to burn."

TJ grinned, bearing his teeth slightly, "I'm all about burning things."

"Of course, now let's get going," said Darien with a slight grin.

He was having a little too much fun on this adventure, but revenge was sweet and there was still plenty more to do.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Yay, chapter update.**

 **Summary:** **Skye has a secret, one that no one else can ever know. As a child, people wanted to exploit her genius. As a teen, they took advantage of her mind. For two years, Skye had been free but, when she gets on Shield's radar, she has to tread carefully or else they might learn her secret and history will repeat itself.**

* * *

 **Chapter Nineteen**

Nine missions had passed since Skye's dance with death, a little over three months ago. It was still fairly fresh for everyone, but that didn't mean it was a focus or brought up often.

Skye did her best to pretend like it never happened, she was tired of being the child of the group who needed to be protected. She didn't need or want anything from them. Well that wasn't true, she wanted and needed them to be safe.

In this line of work however that simply wasn't a possibility, no later what they would always be in danger. Not to mention now that they knew her and had been on Wade's radar, it meant that they would be in even more danger. This didn't sit well with Skye and she had to wonder if she would be able to bargain for their lives.

It was mainly a passing thought she knew wouldn't really work, but she had to have faith. Though she had no real proof, she did think higher power existed and she hoped whatever being it was would protect the people she loved.

The only problem with her hope was that life was cruel to her and rarely did what she desired. It was likely that the exact opposite of what she wanted would occur. She shook the thoughts from her mind and refocused on the image May had showed her.

Coulson had started to draw these weird symbols all over his boards and on papers. Not impulsively, just when he was alone and working he would start drawing them, like doodling. The reason why was the mystery. He had no idea why he had started doing it, only that he had.

Skye stared at it a bit longer, "It's not a known alien language. I honestly don't think it's a language at all based on how it connects together. If anything it's probably a map."

"A map to what," May asked though she knew Skye wouldn't have an answer.

Skye shrugged, "Probably some device or ancient object. It looks like a map, but it follows the same lines a maze would. Possibly a labyrinth of some kind."

"Would Wade have any files on this," May asked.

Everyone else was nervous to bring up Wade around Skye, May wasn't nervous about anything. In her eyes, Skye was stronger than anyone gave her credit for. So she didn't beed around the bush with her like the team had been.

Skye was grateful that May didn't treat her any different, she might have been slightly more understanding, but her attitude never really changed.

"It's possible," Skye admitted, "It looks similar to some work I saw for barely a second…"

Skye pulled the image from her memory, the picture in her mind as clear as the pages May gave her. She could see the similar lines and circles on a silver object. At the time of this memory she was roughly twelve looking through a closing door as she was being escorted to one of the many testing rooms. The object, the symbols and word 'Inhumans' written on the black board before he door shut her out.

"From what I remember," Skye started, "There was a silver object with the same symbols, the word 'Inhumans' written on a board behind it."

May raised an eyebrow in question.

Seeing May's confusion, Skye explained, "Inhumans was the term used to describe these hybrids. Half human and alien dna mixed together, the alien species was called Kree."

"That sounds like what Lady Sif mentioned when she was here weeks ago," May commented.

The Asgardian warrior was hunting an escaped convict and asked for their help in catching her. During the slower part of the assignment, Simmons had asked what other humanoid species were out there in the galaxy. One of the names had been Kree.

Skye nodded, "Yeah. It was a supposedly a big project that I wasn't allowed to help with. Not old enough."

"They had age restrictions," May questioned in a bored tone.

"Not exactly," Skye said, she looked at May with a strained expression.

The look caught May off guard. It didn't appear as if a nerve was struck, May could tell based on her body language she was hiding something. What exactly May had no idea.

"What do you mean," May asked curious.

Skye bit her lip, "I don't know if I should say."

May gave Skye a slightly patronizing look, "You can trust me with information, you know that."

"I know, I know," Skye quickly assured, "It's just… it's sensitive to you."

"To me," May deadpanned.

"May it's about Bahrain," Skye said sadly, "I've read those reports before I came here, I know the other side."

May didn't show her surprise often, this was the rare occasion she let her emotions show on her face. Bahrain was not something she wanted to revisit, it was something she wished she could forget.

"What do you know about Bahrain," asked May, her expression returning to its once blank look.

Skye swallowed, her unease growing, "The little girl there, she was an inhuman, exposed to the 'awakening' mist. A transformation occurs when a human with the alien dna becomes inhuman. They call it terrigenesis. The little girl had gone through it at too young of an age without any training or preparation. They wouldn't expose me to it until I was, well as old as I am now. The younger the person, the more unstable they become and can't control their abilities."

"You're an inhuman then," May said, trying to distract herself from the images of the past.

Skye nodded sadly, "Technically yes because it is in my DNA, but since I haven't gone through the most yet, no. What my powers are, I have no idea, but I hope not to get them. That's the last thing I need."

"How did Wade know this? Was Wade involved in that incident," May questioned through gritted teeth.

"I honestly don't know," Skye said with a frown, "Wade had information from everywhere. They let me to little bits on the Inhuman project, your Bahrain was in one of the files."

May nodded, the flashes from the past coming back to her as she struggled to keep them at bay. After all these years, it was still a hard topic to come to terms with. Hearing the little girl had been an inhuman, had lost her chance at life or to become something amazing was enough to break what remained of May's heart.

"I'm sorry," Skye said looking back at he computer, in a lower tone, "There was nothing else that could be done."

"A lot of different things could have been done," May commented wryly.

Skye didn't look at May as she said, "All other options would have resulted with a higher number of casualties, not just your team."

May raised an eyebrow, "How much do you know?"

"I only know what I read and what conclusions I made from that information," Skye answered, a little too monotone for May's liking, "You went in alone, came out with your team, dead strangers, a mother and child. The mother and child being inhumans caused the problem, the strangers were collateral, your team the survivors and victims."

Skye narrowed her eyes the computer, as she continued, "From what information I know, I can tell that the girl was the one in control of them doing something, most likely mind control or manipulation similar to Lorelei, but not as specific. Since the strangers died first, she killed them and most likely came to you with your team's life hanging the balance. It was kill her, or kill everyone else with you and who knows whoever else she would have come in contact with after this incident."

Skye stopped typing, she looked at May with a hard and knowing expression. It looked foreign, out of place on her usually passive and gentle face. Even with the recent event that shifted her personality slightly, May couldn't help, but be concerned by this display.

"You did the best you could with what you had," Skye said sadly, her eyes softened, "Still, I'm sorry it happened."

May shrugged her shoulders, "It's in the past, nothing can be done to change it. Once your done, meet me in the hangar for training. Ward told me you had been defense."

Skye nodded a bit dejectedly, "Yeah. After my near death and that video one SHIELD's Agent site, he'd pushed me a bit harder. Can't say I mind it considering it's still easier than Derek's training. I get to fight you and Ward at the same time."

Skye fake smiled widely, she was not looking forward to that battle.

The corners of May's mouth twitched, "See you down there."

May walked out then, leaving the hacker to her thoughts.

The past few missions had gone well, the moments she spent with the team although shaky, were some of the best moments she had with them. They felt more intimate and personal, like the were all really close, but also far apart.

It was the strangest feeling really, but Skye couldn't really complain. Besides Darien and Brenda, this team was the only real family she had. She had finally found a home in them, a place where she somewhat belonged and didn't feel completely put out. And she loved them, she really really cared about each of the members on this team.

If it came down to her or them, she would choose them every time over herself. Their lives were more valuable and she refused to be the cause of any of their deaths. In her mind they would all live to be 100 or older without complications.

It was wishful thinking of course, but she had hope. More hope than she had ever had in her life and she wasn't going to give it up easily. Brenda had quoted some cartoon movie before about hope and the line had been, "Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill."

That always stuck with Skye for some reason, just in the back of her mind and only ever shaking up when she was hopeless. She wasn't sure where the burst of hopeful feelings came from, but she figured it was either her near death experience or just Darien. Knowing he was real gave her a new sense of feeling, like anything was possible.

A small smile grew on her face, she had been right about him and she couldn't have been happier by the revelation. Even if it came about in a less than pleasant way, she was happy as ever to have him. He hadn't directly contacted her, but their had been recent reports of several labs exploding on her feed when checking in on Wade.

That was his way of saying he had it covered and she was happy with it. It made all the difference in the world to her to watch those facilities burn to the ground.

Though she knew Wade would never fully disappear, much like Hydra remnants would always remain, but if it lessoned it anyway she would take it as a victory. There would be hope.

 _There is no hope for you Mary._

* * *

After a few days of relaxing, the BUS was itching for a new assignment. Even Fitzsimmons missed the thrill and excitement that came with each mission they were on. Though the scientists were content to remain in their lab for hours and hours, after spending so many days in the lab and on the BUS, they desperate for something new.

Coulson had felt similarly, he could barely manage a day without an assignment. It was why Tahiti was so hard for him. However he had a feeling there was more to it than that considering what Skye had told him the previous day.

She had arrived in his office, timid and unsure which was unlike her. The Skye he knew was shy and goofy, the Skye who returned from near death was a little distant, but sweet. There were not many difference he could see between the before and after of her near death, but some were just noticeable enough.

Hesitantly, she told him about the Tahiti project. She only had bits and pieces of the puzzle, they related back to the drawings he had continued to do. There wasn't a desire to do so, but there was a very slight calling to do it. To simply let his hand glide along a blank piece of paper and draw the lines.

 _AC, I don't think you actually went to Tahiti. Something else happened to you after you were killed, you weren't brought back from the brink of death, but the actual dead._

Coulson had looked over what she had found, it was enough to unnerve him, but they didn't have enough information to draw any conclusions. He glanced at the clock, he would have to think on it later.

For now, he needed to meet with his team and get out on the mission. Cabin fever was starting to get them all, they needed to get out and do something more than training or board games or warm ups.

This new mission was about a SHIELD scientist, Dr Hall, had gone missing in Colorado. According to the reports he was in transport when the trucks were attacked by an unseen attacker. Coulson stood from his seat and headed to the command center where he found the team, waiting.

"Good, you're all here," Coulson greeted with a thin smile, "Our assignment is to find out what happened to Dr Hall."

"What do we know so far about the incident," Ward questioned leaning forward.

Coulson answered, "Next to nothing. We know the team assigned to protect him is missing along with the attacker's were supposedly some invisible force. One of the trucks and it's trailers were lifted into the air, various dents pushed into it. Not to mention one of the trailers is still in the sky."

"They want us to figure out what caused it and where Dr Hall was taken to," Simmons asked softly.

Fitz sighed, "Poor Dr Hall."

"Yes, once we get on the ground we'll be able to look around and see what evidence is there," Coulson said simply, "A cause and possibly leads on his location."

"The cause was Gravitonium," Skye said sharply.

The team looked to Skye in confusion. There hadn't been any Gravitonium on site, not to mention that no one had even brought up Dr Hall's connection to the rare substance. Cookson was intrigued by her statement however, wondering on how she came to it.

Seeing their reaction, Skye explained, "Dr Franklin Hall created a device that would manipulate the gravitonium on a small scale. He's spent years researching it and how to use it. It's a rare substance, highly unstable and unpredictable if not properly secured."

Skye began to type on the holo table, pulling up images of Gravitonium and Dr Hall, along with several redacted documents. The team watched curiously, each wondering where Skye was headed. Ward and May had limited to hardly any knowledge on Gravitonium, Coulson was a little better off.

Fitzsimmons on the other hand had more information, this do to their personal experience with Dr Hall. He had been one of their supervisors, teaching them all kinds of things and helping them with their skills in the field here. To them he was a good man, brilliant in the lab and a genuine person to be around.

"I'm guessing Wade had you research the substance," May inquired curiously.

Fitzsimmons tensed at May's question while Ward looked at the older agent with slightly narrowed eyes. The three of them could hardly stand to think about what Skye had experienced with Wade and bringing it up was out of the question. Coulson would beat around the bush with her, not as much as the other members though, but still enough.

Skye nodded, her eyes focused on the screen, "Wade had at least a pound. I wasn't allowed to go to close to it. It was one of the few safety precautions they took."

The hacker paused her typing, a wry smile showing on her face before she shook her head and continued to type. This time, her fingers flying faster across the keys.

Over the last three months, Skye has come up in terms of being an agent and helping on missions. Most of the solutions to their problems, if not all, came from her in some way or form. Her ability to solve the problems had really come to their aid, making all of their lives easier.

Despite the good that had come from her with how she was handling being an agent now, it was just another reminder of what she had been hiding. Mentally, physically and emotionally, she was far more equipped than any of them could have anticipated.

"Here we go," Skye said as the first document was revealed, "This is the first of many reports about his research and inventions for Gravitonium. And if we look… over here at this one, you can see he was talking to Cybertech."

"They helped create Deathlok's armor," Simmons said, though it sounded like a question.

Skye winced as she remembered Mike, but quickly pushed the thoughts aside, "Through a lot of hiding they funded the Deathlok program, along with Centipede and Icarus. The person we really need to look into is Ian Quinn."

"What does he have to do with this," Ward asked, a brow raised.

"He's the one who's been talking to Dr Hall about the device to control the substance," Skye started as she pulled up some decrypted messages, "Quinn has been talking to Hall for weeks about this device and about how he wants to expand it. Hall appears to agree based on his replies. Now Quinn has been on the watch list for awhile, not to mention he has diplomatic immunity, so no one in SHIELD or any other organization can touch him. This makes the timing perfect, no one can touch him so he does what he has been waiting to do. Get his hands on the person who can create the device he couldn't. He must be the one who took Hall."

"Does Quinn have Gravitonium of his own or does he plan to steal some," May questioned, looking at Skye.

Coulson answered, realization in his eyes, "A few months back, a known deposit had been emptied. No evidence was left there, it was just gone."

"If Quinn managed to take it all that time ago, why would he get Hall now," Ward asked folding his arms over his chest.

Skye spoke next, "He has it, but that doesn't mean he can use it fully. Odds are he managed to replicate one of Hall's earlier devices-"

Skye's sudden stop in speaking raised questions for her teammates, May specifically. Whenever Skye had some type of terrible realization, she would freeze in her tracks. Simmons had noticed this as well, but didn't realize how concerning it could be.

"Skye," said Simmons, her tone gentle.

Skye visibly swallowed, she licked her lips before continuing, "He has my designs."

Blueprints of Dr Hall's device compared to similar, but more advanced blueprints with Mary signed in the bottom. Several more blueprints came on the screen, two copies of each, every time a replica of the one created by Mary.

"Dammit," Skye hissed as she studied the screen and muttered, "I hate being right."

"You made designs for Gravitonium before," Fitz asked, a soft look on his face.

"Years ago, Derek had me design a containment unit for the substance," Skye answered glancing away from the screen, "Cybertech did deals and trades with us- I mean Wade plenty of times. I practically gave it to them years ago, why would they wait all this time to find a device to use it?"

"All of these are yours," Ward said pointing at the screen.

"Wade had you make all of these," Coulson asked, an eyebrow raised.

Skye nodded once, "Told me it was for power, meant to be used for planes and NASA. I didn't really believe it, but it was the lie that helped me sleep."

"Do you have any idea why Quinn would want this," May asked.

Skye shrugged, "The only reason he would is because it will boost his tech, not only in performance, but in terms of price. He only stands to profit from it."

"We now how our lead," Coulson commented, "We'll touch down soon, maybe the scene of the crime will reveal other things. Skye, you and I will be taking point on this. Your insider information will be useful, May and Ward are guns so to speak while Fitzsimmons will work on these blueprints and in what we find there in Colorado. Dismissed."


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: SO this is late. My apologies for the long delay, time got away from and I started college, my schedule and time management has been taken for a spin lately. My hope is to get things more consistent on posting, but my writing has gotten so sporadic who knows how well that will turn out. Either way, I thank you all for your support and patience. Question: Does anyone know when SHIELD is coming back on tv? Cause I heard not until spring and I don't about anyone else, but I'm upset cause I needed to know what happened next months ago. So if that's joke, not funny. ANyway, I'm done, on with the show.**

 **Summary:** **Skye has a secret, one that no one else can ever know. As a child, people wanted to exploit her genius. As a teen, they took advantage of her mind. For two years, Skye had been free but, when she gets on Shield's radar, she has to tread carefully or else they might learn her secret and history will repeat itself.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty**

"Alright, look at the screen for me Mary."

The eleven year old girl glared at the scientist, but wouldn't dare correct him or tell him not to call her that name. Her back still ached with phantom pain from her consequence with Derek ages ago. If they wanted to call her Mary she would answer, if they wanted to call her something else, she would answer. It didn't matter to her anymore really, what was the point in fighting against something you could never beat? Mary faced the screen, her brown eyes focused on the blank projector sheet.

"We're going to show you an image for a second, then you are going to repeat it back to us," said the scientist, a woman this time.

Mutely, Mary nodded. The series of numbers and letter appeared before her, she stared at it until it was gone as quickly as it came. Nervously she swallowed. Every so often they would see how quickly she could retain information thrown at her. It wasn't necessarily a difficult task for her, it was more or less tedious and something she hated. She was like a show dog, doing pointless tricks for the sake of some cause that didn't involve her in the least.

"What did the screen display," asked the first scientist, a man.

Mary sighed, she leaned back in her chair, "The first line had the letters: O-I-M-A-T-V-G-I-R-U-N. Scramble the letters, it spells Gravitonium which is an unstable substance that interferes with the gravity around it. The next line said a name, Ian Quinn, spelled backwards and mirrored. The third line, a series of numbers and letters with no coherence. Y-T-J-O-0-W-H-G-8-S-4-"

"That's enough of that for now Mary," that voice belonged to Derek, he appeared at her side, "There's someone who wants to speak with you."

Mary turned to face Derek, she tilted her head up and asked, "Let me guess. Ian Quinn, the guy who wants to use Gravitonium and doesn't have any way to contain it."

Derek glared at her, Mary forced herself not to squirm, "What did I say about being a smartass?"

Mary narrowed her eyes, "I'm here because I am a smartass, or did you forget?"

He moved to grab her, but Mary recognized the movement and barely managed to keep herself rooted in her spot. If she moved away, he'd hurt her for it later. It was bad enough that she was already in some hot water for her incident some days ago. There were times she just couldn't help herself when it came to pushing his buttons, or really anyone's buttons when she had the chance. Though it almost always ended in pain and new scars, it gave her some satisfaction to rebel in the least.

"I'll let it slide since our guest is still here," hissed Derek, his eyes alight with anger.

Mary glanced at the floor, fear washed over her then. She was safe for the moment, but that didn't mean later she would be. Without another word, she followed Derek out of the testing room through the barren halls.

Her eyes would always roam over the doors, hoping to get a peek inside them. Unless there were noises coming from them, then that was the last thing she wanted to look at. Noises meant someone was being tortured and she hated to see that. Though she did often find herself searching for the boy in the grey shirt and black pants, with eyes that matched silver clouds. She knew him somehow, but couldn't remember how. Only that she knew him.

Derek brought her upstairs where Boss and a man wearing a white suit, Ian Quinn, we're talking. It was Boss's office, with a wall of windows behind his desk. They were somewhat tinted, but let in enough light without the warmth of the sun's heat to come through. Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene, or ETFE for short, a type of glass that is usually used for skylights. Boss had it in his office as a power move considering most powerful and dangerous people like him tried to install bulletproof glass for protection.

Boss knew he didn't need protection though. No one would dare to stand against him or try to attack him. Mary thought it was a bluff, until she remembered working on the glass windows before and adding some modifications to it.

Boss grinned at Mary, baring his too white teeth at her. It wasn't a friendly smile, it was like an animal trying to show off its fangs.

Ian Quinn raised an eyebrow at the eleven year old girl, "And who is this? Their child? She sick or something, what's with the hospital gown?"

Mary scrunched her brow at his words, she wasn't surprised that he wouldn't think she was anything special considering her age and small frame. Not to mention she was only wearing a hospital gown and underwear. It was a little more than demeaning, but she knew it was a tactic to make her feel as vulnerable and exposed to the authority.

If she didn't think about it too much, she could forget about the outfit. Sometimes the "nurses" would let her wear were deemed normal clothes. Rose had brought her a nice pair of jeans and a somewhat cute t-shirt, though it was a little too bright for Mary's taste she wore it whenever possible. It reminded her of when she was in the foster system and wore hand me downs. What she wouldn't give to wear those materials again.

"This is Mary Sue," introduced Boss, he gestured for Mary to stand beside him which she obliged silently, "Our little genius if you will."

Quinn made a face, "Is this a joke?"

"Boss does not joke," said Mary, her chin jutted out, "You're the one who wants to contain Gravitonium, using an incredibly out of date method that will result with your lab and the neighboring area to lose its proper gravitation levels. The substance will disrupt its frequency causing a shift that will eventually cause adverse effects to all involved. Not to mention anything that comes in contact with the Gravitonium will likely be devoured, I imagine you've already lost some of your workers to it."

Derek narrowed his eyes at her, but Boss simply looked amused. He enjoyed Mary the most out of his little army of lab rats. She was the combination of her parents, both brilliant and special in their own ways. Whitehall would be thrilled to have the offspring of the test subject he lost, but Boss couldn't part with either brat. He enjoyed them too much for that.

"I see," commented Quinn, his expression confused.

Boss placed his large hand on Mary's shoulder, "You have offered Wade an incredible amount of funds and resources that will benefit us in the future. Because of this, I am entrusting my greatest asset to you for the next three days. Derek will accompany you both."

"This child is supposed to help me with the Gravitonium," questioned Quinn, his eyes shined with disbelief.

Mary glanced at Boss, "I'm surprised that you would allow him here if all he intended to do was question your judgment."

"Everyone needs a little convincing my child," said Boss with a nod, he looked to Quinn, "Mary, would you like to show him the warning I give to those who question me?"

Mary wanted to answer no, but obviously, that was not an option. Not to mention, the high and mighty look Quinn wore was starting to piss her off. All it took was her to blink three times before she had pinned him to the floor, the smug facade gone. He was now resting on his stomach, she on his back twisting his arms in painfully uncomfortable positions.

Though Mary was well aware that she was far from strong, once she hit certain parts of the body and applied just enough pressure to them, her victim would be entirely at her mercy. It was a thrilling and sick feeling mixed together. It made her feel powerful and not so helpless, she hated herself for that feeling.

"This child," said Boss as he rose to his full height, "Could kill you in over five hundred different ways with minimal effort."

Mary adjusted her position, her right forearm pressed against the back of his neck. "If I tell her to crack part of your spine, she will do so."

"No child could possibly have that kind of strength," protested Quinn.

"You want to take that chance," questioned Mary, her mouth right next to his ear, "I will break you in a matter of seconds. If Boss gives the green light, you're done for."

Quinn was silent, though it was obvious he wanted to argue and even challenge the three people in this room, he knew he needed them for his research. Causing any further trouble would jeopardize his plans which was not something he could afford.

Quinn relented, "You've made your point."

Mary looked at Derek, he nodded signaling she could get off the businessman. Once she had, she moved to stand beside her handler who for a brief moment looked pleased in a not twisted way. That was almost worse than his twisted pleased look.

Mary stared at the floor once her hearing was lost. Another device she had to make, if she was in the presence of a business deal that could reveal too much, Derek turned off her ears. At first, she would just stare at the people talking, but once they realized she could read lips, she was ordered to put her head down as soon as her earing was lost. Not being able to hear anything was torture when she wasn't expecting it, but even she had to admit the silence wasn't too horrible.

"That settles it," said Boss causing Mary to look up at him and Quinn, "Alright Mary, time to go."

* * *

Present Day

* * *

"When I heard Wade's little experiment had gone missing, I assumed it was meant to get rid of unwanted customers," said the older man, Ian Quinn with a curious gaze, "Though now I realize you actually managed to get away."

Skye hated Quinn. At first she could say it was more of a dislike considering she only knew he was greedy and would disregard anyone for money. Though with him taunting her now, capturing Fitzsimmons and just being an ass in general, she could say she hated him.

Quinn offered her a sideways smile, "You've grown up quite a bit haven't you Mary."

"Not my name," Skye hissed darkly, she narrowed her eyes, "What's your endgame Quinn? You already know how to keep it contained. You don't need it to power anything, it doesn't have that capability."

"I'll accept that lie for now, but I don't need to use it at all," Quinn commented simply.

Skye tilted her head to the side, "Who's your buyer?"

Quinn dismissed her question with a wave of his hand, "Unimportant. What is important however is that I intend to sell this Gravitonium, the containment device and information from Dr. Hall for quite a bit of money."

Skye crossed her arms over her chest, "Of course you are. All you ever cared about was money."

"Guilty as charged," commented Quinn with a smirk, "How's Mr. Peterson doing by the way?"

"Don't talk about him," hissed Skye, her brown eyes burning, "He was an innocent man, he didn't deserve that."

Quinn raised an eyebrow, "He didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of _your_ technology, right? You blame yourself for what happened to him, it was your fault after all."

Skye didn't have a reply to that. After all, he was right. It had been her fault in a manner of speaking, considering it was her work that turned him into more machine than man. What happened to Akela was her fault as well, who knows how many more people were in pain all because of some things she drew and built as a child and teenager. Though she knew carrying that blame was unhealthy and wrong considering she was only doing it to protect herself, the guilt still gnawed at her insides. Indirectly she had caused them all so much pain and suffering.

"It was," Skye admitted sorrowfully, "But I'm going to make things right."

Quinn scoffed in disbelief, "Sure you are."

Skye shoved her hands into her jean pockets, the signal for Ward to execute their plan, "Yeah, I will."

* * *

That night

* * *

Coulson had spent the better part of the day working on the mission and after the success of capturing Quinn, he needed some downtime. Skye's plan to infiltrate the lab, let herself be caught as a diversion while Coulson lead Fitzsimmons to Hall worked out much better than anticipated. Skye had become much more than an asset to SHIELD, now more than ever and he knew she would make a fantastic agent one day.

His hand was itching to grab a pen to start drawing, but using most of his willpower he forced himself not to. Though Skye had told him not to fight it, he just had to ignore it. Whatever was going on was starting to concern him and he didn't like the possibilities for where this could go. He had seen the drawings before in dreams ages ago, but he had never felt a desire to draw them nor could he really remember them after he woke up.

It wasn't until he saw the blue blood the man had brought to save Skye that he felt an urge to draw the symbols. Shortly after that incident, he felt a calling to draw and he just drew those symbols. As time went on, it became more of an urge and slightly more insistent feeling. Coulson sighed, he did not want to deal with right now nor did he want to dive into it presently. He had to admit, he was nervous about the secrets he could uncover, but he knew he had to find out the truth. Whatever happened to him, he had to know.

"How'd you had in here," Coulson asked not looking away from his desk.

A somewhat familiar voice answered, "Impressive, how did you know I was here?"

Coulson lifted his head as the man from before stood before his desk, "I have great ears."

Darien chuckled, "Sure you do."

"What brings you back here," Coulson asked leaning back in his chair, "You've been silent for awhile."

Darien snickered, "I had some stuff to take care of. I'm sure Daisy mentioned what I was up to."

Coulson shook his head, "She hasn't divulged that information to us. As far as I know, she didn't know you existed until after that day. I heard she was looking for you."

"I sent her a message, one I knew she would recognize so we could communicate, keep this secret alright," said Darien as he showed a guilty expression that quickly faded away, he tsked, "Well I was getting back at Wade for all the shit they put us through. They're mostly handled, so you guys should be safe for the time being. You have another more pressing matter I hear from the past coming to get you."

When Skye told him that Hydra was here, he had been more than shocked and devastated. Honestly he wanted to believe she was lying or that she was wrong, but based off everything she already knew and had done, it made sense that she would know about this. Especially when she shared that Wade had made deals with Hydra.

It rocked him to his core, but there was nothing to be done about it now. When she told him and May, she explicitly said not to tell Fitzsimmons or Ward. Fitzsimmons wouldn't be able to handle that news and she tried to dodge the question about Ward. May had asked if one of them was Hydra, all Skye could say was it was possible. Telling them would only cause the agent suspicion and that was the last thing they needed right now. Coulson agreed, but he had to take time to process the news, May needed a shorter amount of time, but still some of her own.

Coulson nodded, "Skye tell you about it or did you already know?"

"I already knew years ago," Darien answered swiftly, but he wore a weak smile, "I didn't tell Daisy that though. I just let her tell me about it."

"Nice," said Coulson, "How long will you be here?"

"Not long at all, I'm popping in to give some information to Daisy then I have to leave. I have some projects that need my attention."

"Care to share those projects," asked Coulson with a curious look.

Darien offered him a crooked smile, "Sorry Coul, but not today."


End file.
